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

HHS Secretary Alex Azar proposed Thursday to end drug rebates in Medicare Part D and in Medicaid managed care plans and treat them as kickbacks, in a move that could have implications for private plans as well. The rule was announced in the same week as hearings on Capitol Hill about drug pricing, especially the rising cost of insulin.

Stroke-related health risks of giving birth are highlighted in 2 posters that will be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, being held February 6-9, 2019, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A critical obstacle to chronic disease management is that the patients most likely to benefit from primary care aren’t necessarily the patients who see their providers. Digital health helps providers support patients outside the traditional 4 walls of the doctor’s office.

Among older patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy, use of primary prophylaxis with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) increased significantly over the past 20 years.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that claims costs and federal and state policies largely influenced insurer participation in exchanges during the early years of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Elderly adults suffering function and cognitive impairment who are in need of long-term services and support (LTSS) often endure substantial out-of-pocket expenses since LTSS is not covered by Medicare.

Reflecting on a year of breakthrough advancements in the treatment of rare, difficult to treat cancers, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has named “Progress in Treating Rare Cancers” as the Advance of the Year.

CMS is expanding how Medicare Advantage (MA) can offer supplemental health benefits for the 2020 plan year, it said Thursday as it also announced the rate adjustment for the private plans that participate in the program.

Here are the top 5 articles for the month of January.

A new study has demonstrated that e-cigarettes are more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine; the Department of Veterans Affairs released a proposal that would expand private healthcare access for veterans; and Aetna and Apple have launched a health app that helps users personalize and achieve their health goals.

Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, discusses the 2018 American College of Cardiology Expert Consensus Decision Pathway, which includes guidance on the use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, and its potential to change the treatment paradigm for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Sephin1 provided protective benefits that delayed loss of myelin and onset of debilitating disease in mouse models of multiple sclerosis.

A recent review showed that the long-term use of statins reduced the risk of acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease–related mortality and all-cause mortality, as well as decreased inflammatory factors.

The FDA has approved sumatriptan nasal spray (Tosymra) for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults.

Being able to accurately measure HIV reservoirs that remain in the body even during viral suppression is the first step to being able to destroy these reservoirs and, potentially, cure the infection. Researchers say they've created a new technique that will allow them to do so.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, many adults leaving jail or prison were ineligible for Medicaid because coverage was not available to most adults without children. However, by mid 2018, 33 states and the District of Columbia had expanded Medicaid eligibility to include all adults with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level, which has made Medicaid available to more individuals upon their release.

As many as 2 million people have been exposed to carcinogens in several generic blood pressure drugs; flu activity has worsened over the past week; and real-world data is changing how researchers study drug efficacy and safety.

The study followed more than 2300 men and women for 5 years and found different patterns of depression symptoms between the genders.

Here are 5 interesting findings from the January 2019 issue of AJMC®.

The Senate Committee on Finance convened a hearing with economic and medical experts and the mother of child with insulin-dependent diabetes to discuss the burdens of high prescription drug prices and potential policy solutions that can address the rising costs without harming innovation by drug companies.

Americans with primary care receive significantly more high-value care, slightly more low-value care, and report better healthcare experience.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/an-american-journal-of-managed-care-medical-crossfire-a-payer-and-neurologist-discussion-on-the-shifting-paradigm-of-alzheimers-disease-treatment

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/an-american-journal-of-managed-care-payer-and-specialty-pharmacy-forum-clinical-updates-and-outcomes-data-for-pcsk9-inhibitors

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/chemotherapy-induced-nausea-and-vomiting-treatment

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/a-managed-care-perspective-on-immunotherapy-treatment-for-peanut-allergies

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/american-journal-of-managed-care-payer-and-specialty-pharmacy-forum-von-willebrand-disease-management-including-a-patient-perspective

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/mantle-cell-lymphoma-mcl-treatment-landscape-and-access-to-care

Asthma–COPD overlap (ACO) is a term that encompasses patients with characteristics of 2 conditions, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent study from Spain sought to validate a proposed algorithm to help clinicians identify ACO among patients with COPD, in an effort to tailor treatment.

Administrator Seema Verma said CMS will focus on “empowering patients, focusing on results, and unleashing innovation” during a speech on the first day of the 2019 CMS Quality Conference, and called states the “laboratories of democracy” when it comes to innovation in Medicaid.