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The White House is proposing cutting the Public Health Service Commissioner Corps, which is deployed during disasters and disease outbreaks, by nearly 40%; payments made by opioid manufacturers to physicians have decreased as public attention to the opioid epidemic grows; mistrust of drugs and doctors may partly explain why black patients are less likely than white patients to take recommended statins.

This week, drug maker Roche released positive data from its phase 3 IMpower133 study that investigated an immunotherapy-based combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and chemotherapy in the treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

A recent study aimed to investigate the clinical and psychosocial risk factors that are associated with hospital readmissions for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among patients.

Total and per capita annual growth rates in Medicare are trending higher than their historically low levels of the past few years, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reported recently in a review of Medicare data, creating an uncertain environment for future sustainability.

A new research study from the Baylor College of Medicine finds that vaccine nonmedical exemption rates are inversely associated with vaccine coverage—especially for measles, mumps, and rubella—in certain geographic locations, which can increase the likelihood of preventable outbreaks in those regions.

Oklahoma’s Medicaid program is the first to win approval from CMS to negotiate supplemental rebate agreements involving value-based purchasing (VBP) arrangements with drug manufacturers, with the aim of producing extra rebates for the state if clinical outcomes are not reached. Separately, CMS denied an application from Massachusetts requesting the ability to exclude certain Medicaid-covered outpatient drugs through a closed formulary.

The results suggest employers can make a different in health costs through a 2-step process: using testing to identify those at risk, and following up with evidence-based programs of lifestyle change and support.

As tomorrow marks National HIV Testing Day, over 400 organizations and clinics nationwide are spearheading efforts to promote testing.

A comparison of neurocognitive profiles of patients with confirmed Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) and early Alzheimer disease found that general dementia screening assessments should not be used alone to evaluate cognitive performance in patients with suspected NP-C since these patients may demonstrate milder cognitive deficits than patients with early Alzheimer disease.

Asthma is a common disease that affects people of all ages; however, it is underdiagnosed. Researchers have recently identified a genetic biomarker of asthma that can be tested for using a nasal brush and basic follow-up data analysis.

Cancer cells can take advantage of the BCL-2 protein to survive chemotherapy, but a drug that suppresses BCL-2 may have promise in patients with leukemia who produce too much of the protein.

A California law that requires clinics to notify women that abortions paid for by the state are available has been ruled a violation of free speech rights; half of all workers in the United States have health insurance with a deductible of at least $1000, which is up from 22% in 2009; a new study found that more seniors insured by Medicare are dying at home instead of a hospital.

Smoke-free policies not only protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure, but they also reduce the social acceptability of smoking, help prevent youth and young adult smoking initiation, and increase smokers’ efforts to quit smoking. A recent report from the CDC assessed the importance and efficacy of smoke-free and tobacco-free policies among colleges and universities.

States may be underestimating the effect of opioid-related overdose deaths because of incomplete cause-of-death reporting on death certificates, indicating that the mortality from opioids may be higher than it appears, according to an analysis published Wednesday.

With Medicaid expanding, CMS said it is unveiling increased and stricter oversight of the program.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance today to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to drive drug innovation and affordability, answering a slew of questions revolving around the "American Patients First" blueprint, increasing generic and biosimilar competition, and value-based pricing.

Chronic care management is available under Medicare but has been underused thus far.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its 2011 recommendation about osteoporosis screening, recommending that women over the age of 65 years continue to get screened and issuing new information about how clinicians should use screening tools to evaluate women younger than 65 years at high risk for developing the bone disease.

As radiation oncologists met with policy makers in Congress as part of the 15th annual American Society of Radiation Oncology Advocacy Day, the need for a radiation oncology–specific alternative payment model (APM) was one of the key topics of discussion.

A new study from the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Leavitt Partners, and McManis Consulting found that the penetration of value-based payment (VBP) models is not yet enough to generate cost savings and is also not affecting clinical quality outcomes at the market level.

The average duration of a migraine was found to be independent from the presence of allergy, as well as the frequency of the cephalalgy attacks, and the localization of the pain.

A look at what considerations small businesses need to weigh before buying insurance through an association health plan; a new survey of adult survivors of childhood cancer found that they are less concerned about their future health than their siblings; the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy is looking into a case in which a woman prescribed a drug to end her pregnancy was denied it by the pharmacist.

First-line treatment with atezolizumab plus chemotherapy helped patients with previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) live significantly longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone.

During remarks at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Conference, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, called for more data sharing and explained how the FDA is working to modernize the clinical trial process.

Providing an alternative to inpatient care, hospital-at-home care bundled with a 30-day postacute transitional care episode is associated with improved patient outcomes, such as readmissions and emergency department revisits, and ratings of care compared with inpatient hospitalization.

Twenty-five percent of Texas children—who are citizens—have at least 1 US parent who is not, and the fear of being discovered by immigration officials is causing families to drop out of Medicaid and other assistance programs for which they are eligible; the House of Representatives passed bipartisan opioid legislation; Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill implementing work requirements in Medicaid.

The chair is funded by the healthcare solutions company Navvis.

The environment children live in can often affect their pediatric asthma.

During the European Hematology Association’s 23rd Congress, held from June 14 to 17 in Stockholm, Sweden, researchers announced that the ELOQUENT-3 phase 2 study, evaluating elotuzumab with pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, met its primary endpoint in showing a statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival.

Many people at high risk of getting HIV—including those who inject drugs, gay and bisexual men, and partners of people with HIV—are not screened annually and experience delays in diagnosis.