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Ohio proposes safety checkpoints for patients with chronic pain when their painkiller dose is increased; Sandoz's proposed rituximab biosimilar is rejected by the FDA; the White House is vetting 3 potential nominees with stronger political backgrounds for secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) said Wednesday that a survey it conducted showed 71% of respondents indicated they are likely to leave the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) due to concerns over having to assume risk.

Patients with gaps between HIV primary care visits of 6 months up until 9 months did not have a significant difference in viral suppression loads. However, with gaps of 12 months or more, 23% of patients became unsuppressed.

While cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women as well as men, and while both sex and gender differences in CVD and its treatments have been well documented, women continue to be less represented than men in clinical trials of drugs to treat CVD. Among proposed reasons for this phenomenon are the recruitment of younger patients, inclusion criteria that tend to select men, and exclusion criteria that are more common in women.

The past few years have seen a number of measures implemented that put the brakes on the rapid consolidation of practices and the upward spiral in costs of cancer care borne by CMS.

Tisagenlecleucel, sold as Kymriah, has gained its second indication following the FDA's approval of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Patients with asthma–COPD overlap syndrome, known as ACO, had a higher prevalence of both insomnia and respiratory symptoms than those with only asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a study reported.

The chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel has been approved for a second type of blood cancer; the National Institutes of Health has started recruiting individuals for a database that will include data on more than 1 million people; Kansas’ request to impose a 3-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits is testing just how open the Trump administration is to allowing states flexibility.

Allergic diseases such as asthma were associated with a 1.66-fold increased hazard of psychiatric disorders in Taiwan, according to a large study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Health insurance coverage gains since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 are starting to weaken and reverse, with the uninsured rate among those aged 19 to 64 increasing from 12.7% in 2016 to 15.5% in 2018.

The FDA and the FTC issued 13 warning letters Tuesday to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for selling e-liquids used in e-cigarettes, or vaping devices, with labeling or advertising that bears stark resemblances to kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy, or cookies.

Huntington disease (HD) is an incurable, inherited neurological disorder caused by the mutant Huntingtin gene, which produces a mutant form of Huntingtin protein (mHTT). In addition to creating the profound neurological impacts of HD, the mHTT protein also impairs other organ systems, and new research, published in Cell Reports, suggests that the protein may play a role in cardiac-related mortality in patients with HD.

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.