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In 2016, synthetic opioids eclipsed prescription opioids as the most common drug involved in overdose deaths in the United States, a new report in JAMA said Tuesday.

While incentives and penalties are effective at getting people to complete health risk assessments, the assessments do not lower costs or increase wellness.

The pay of the new CDC director, Robert R. Redfield, MD, will be cut from $375,000, after reports that he was being paid considerably more than previous directors; supporters of Maine’s Medicaid expansion law are suing the state to force it to begin implementing the program approved by voters in November; prisons are embracing telemedicine, using video conferencing to allow inmates to see specialists without ever leaving the facilities.

CMS has released the first round of reconciliation data from the Oncology Care Model (OCM) bundled payment program. Interestingly, some of the practices that did well were surprised to learn they they’d achieved savings, and some participants were pleased to find out that their level of performance met expectations.

While precise pricing information was not released, net pricing will be within the cost-effective ranges set by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.

Women with a past history of migraine have a 15% higher risk of developing hypertension than those with no history of migraine, according to study findings published in Cephalalgia.

The FDA has granted priority review to Merck’s supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with pemetrexed (Alimta) and platinum chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The FDA is set to make a decision by September 23.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is going to review the class of biologic drugs used to treat moderate to severe eosinophilic asthma and release a report in November, the organization said.

Bill Gates is offering $12 million in a push for a universal flu vaccine; the number of people sick from the E. coli outbreak rises to 98; and a Representative is proposing automatically enrolling eligible individuals in Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid plans.

Results on bundled payment models are mostly promising, but not consistent. However, while most program results trend in the positive direction, many of studies on bundled payments may not capture the full picture.

Providing advanced home care can help reduce hospital admissions for the elderly, but these programs aren’t easy to get up and running, according to panelists at the spring 2018 conference of the National Association of ACOs.

Researchers have identified a new gene that may predispose individuals to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In addition, variants in the gene can influence patient response to treatment.

Even though her final stretch at the helm of Planned Parenthood was not easy, Cecile Richards told the nation's obstetricians she is optimistic because of the activism she sees among women and girls at the grassroots level. "Women are on fire," she said.

Rare disease can significantly reduce patients’ quality of life, and the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can be key to helping researchers understand how diseases and treatments impact quality of life and symptoms, according to a review newly published in the Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases.

A California foundation recently released a policy brief about 10 questions it hopes will serve as a guide for the rest of the country seeking to improve care for older populations with complex health needs in Medicaid managed long-term services and supports programs.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School will test the safety and tolerability of a vaccine that may have the potential to prevent HIV infection.

Men are 3 times less likely to receive cancer genetic testing, owing largely to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer testing.

In a retrospective analysis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), those whose exacerbations were treated with systemic corticosteroids alone, or together with antibiotics, did more poorly than those treated with antibiotics alone, a recent study reported in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

After 3 months of treatment with a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, patients averaged 3 fewer migraines per month, according to study findings.

This week, the top managed care stories included an announcement from CMS of creating direct provider contracting, plus a broad set of proposed rules for health information technology; new recommendations to improve postpartum care; a look at future competition among specialty drugs.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

There has been a proliferation of wearables from consumer gadgets, like the Fitbit, to medical devices that are approved by the FDA. Here are 5 things about wearable technology being used in healthcare.

Copayment assistance groups are being probed by federal authorities for possibly skewing the cost of healthcare to favor drug companies; the FDA is encouraging the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare; investigators revealed they made the arrest of one of California’s most notorious serial killers by using an as yet-unnamed commercial genealogy website, raising privacy concerns.

There are 3 major components in the 21st Century Cures Act that will fix the technology challenges facing healthcare and accountable care organizations (ACOs), said Don Rucker, national coordinator of health information technology (IT) in HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, at the spring 2018 conference of the National Association of ACOs.

Climate change causes a host of issues that have public health impacts, and states are proactively taking steps to anticipate these health issues and prevent them.

After various accusations about his work, Ronny Jackson, MD, has withdrawn from consideration to run the Department of Veterans Affairs; a new online shopping tool would help doctors find cheaper medications for patients based on the patient’s insurance plan information; hospitals have found a new revenue opportunity in self-management courses that teach patients how to prevent or delay complications of disease.

Researchers from Mexico recommend conducting a pulmonary function test in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy to assess their susceptibility to developing radiation pneumonitis.

A new tool has been created to measure patient uncertainty to predict which patients might return to the emergency department (ED) after discharge.

Between 2000 and 2015, $562.6 billion was spent on HIV/AIDS, with most spending occurring in high-income and upper-income countries and out-of-pocket spending accounting for less than 10%, according to the first long-term, comprehensive analysis of funding for the disease.