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A survey funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that vaping, cigarette smoking, and use of hookahs among adolescents has declined over the past year.

The Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system has announced a final rule that will grant full practicing authority to some types of advanced practice registered nurses, with the exception of nurse anesthetists.

Racial and ethnic differences in access to healthcare are not always due to differences in financial resources and insurance coverage. A majority of minorities receive fewer services when compared with whites who have the same level of health coverage and income.

What we're reading, December 14, 2016: many Obamacare enrollees voted for Donald Trump expecting him to fix, not repeal, the law; President Barack Obama signs 21st Century Cures Act into law; Ohio Governor John Kasich vetoes one abortion bill, signs another.

In general, older adults (over the age of 55) in the United States tend to have a higher well-being compared with the broader adult population. Older Americans have better eating habits, fewer financial worries, and more community pride.

Since insurers began pulling out of the individual market in many states, CMS has vowed to crack down on practices that drive up costs.

CVS' Transform Diabetes Care program calls for the use of analytics to identify opportunities for behavioral change or new treatment. The pharmacy benefit manager says it hopes to save clients between $3000 and $5000 annually per member with diabetes.

As the healthcare industry continues its transition toward value-based care, some medical ethicists have raised concerns about how education with an emphasis on value can potentially conflict with patients’ best interests. An opinion letter published in JAMA discusses various strategies for addressing these tensions.

The FDA has released an updated safety announcement following a fresh review of data on the type 2 diabetes treatment pioglitazon to confirm that the drug may increase a person’s likelihood of developing bladder cancer.

What we're reading, December 13, 2016: 1 in 6 American adults are prescribed psychiatric drugs; veterans groups want Donald Trump to keep the current Veterans Affairs secretary; and the number of drug-affected newborns is rising more in rural areas.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has found that step therapy can be cost-effective in patients with cancer who are under psychological duress.

Health systems are looking for new options for pain management in the wake of the opioid epidemic.

An analysis of Medicaid coverage for substance abuse treatments revealed that the services and medications covered vary widely by state. The Health Affairs study raised concerns that patients in some states may not have adequate access to necessary addiction treatment.

A vascular surgeon suggests that patients with diabetes may have so many issues to cover during a 15-minute appointment that they don't mention occasional leg pain.

Though there are many unknowns regarding how the Trump administration will affect policy, there is bipartisan support for lowering costs and increasing quality. The Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 is a separate law that was passed with 92% bi-partisan support in 2015. Read on for tips on creating a strategy that will set you up for success under advanced alternate payment models.

An exhaustive study conducted by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research has found that a woman’s social network can significantly affect her chances of survival following breast cancer.

In Hennepin County, Minnesota, which has one-fifth of the state’s population, the government has worked with the healthcare system to create a different way to care for people.

What we’re reading, December 12, 2016: veterans with dementia who used both the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system and Medicare were more likely to be prescribed potentially unsafe medications; HHS will begin to conduct on-site privacy compliance audits in 2017; study finds that women with strong social connections have better breast cancer outcomes.

The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that has been responsible for a 200% increase in deaths due to overdose of heroin or an opioid pain reliever since 2000. Guidelines provide clinicians with ways to identify patients at risk of opioid use disorder and best practices of prescribing opioids.

During the keynote speech at the inaugural conference of The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, Geoffrey Canada, president of the Harlem Children's Zone, discussed the challenge of addressing health disparities in poor communities.

Healthcare quality issues are a typical legal issue.

The report confirms what CMS made clear in the final rule for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act: many small and rural providers were not ready for a shift away from fee-for-service.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics released a report with new data on the 2015 US mortality rates. Here are 5 findings to take away from the report.

The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report recommends that Medicaid expansion states should direct more attention to smoking cessation programs to improve access and raise awareness about these programs among beneficiaries and providers.

Retaining seniors in the Diabetes Prevention Program will be important for community groups offering it through Medicare, because the proposal calls for payment to be based on performance.

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

This week, the top stories in managed care included poll results that show growing numbers of Republicans want the Affordable Care Act scaled back instead of repealed, Jardiance received a new indication for patients with type 2 diabetes, and CareMore reported care coordination gaps for seniors.

What we’re reading, December 9, 2016: insurers haven’t taken advantage of 2011 Georgia law allowing interstate policy sales; 6 former executives of Insys Therapeutics arrested for fraudulently boosting sales of their fentanyl drug; with a month left in the year, 2016 has already seen decade-high mumps outbreaks.

Creating effective interventions to care for complex populations and making them available is only half the battle. That was the lesson gleaned from a workshop session at The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs’ Putting Care at the Center conference, held December 7-9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

During the first plenary session of Putting Care at the Center, the inaugural conference of The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs, panelists discussed building new models to care for high-need, high-cost patients.