All News

Retail prices for 23 cancer drugs may be highest in the United States, but are less affordable in low-income countries despite lower retail prices.

Two hospitals, one in Georgia and another in California, charge in lawsuits that BCBS of Georgia sends payment directly to patients instead of paying the hospitals for care provided. The patients often do not know they are supposed to sign the checks over to cover the cost of their care, and the hospitals end up without payment.

After reviewing the evidence for all approved hepatitis C virus treatments, Advera Health has determined that Gilead Sciences’ newly approved, pan-genomic Epclusa has a similar safety profile as Sovaldi, Harvoni, Daklinza, and Viekira Pak.

A majority of people surveyed in California and Hawaii supported physician-assisted death. There was even a majority of support among respondents who said religion or spirituality was very important to them.

This week, the top stories in managed care include the largest healthcare fraud takedown, one successful accountable care organization imparted its secrets, and a report identifies pharmacy trends in the public health exchanges.

New Health Care Cost Institute report analyzed how much money is spent on children and adults with diabetes, where the money goes, and how that compares to individuals who do not have diabetes.

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

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: concerns over Anthem-Cigna deal may mean the government moves to block the merger; why the price of childhood vaccines is actually too low; and saturated fats are not as bad as once thought.

The Oncology Care Model is one of the most recent bundled payment programs announced by CMS, going into effect July 1. Participants will need a robust data analytics program in order to meet practice requirements, and achieve clinical and financial goals. Read on for tips to achieve data-driven success, and a simulation of what practice data will look like under the model.

What we're reading, July 4, 2016: a hospital is offering free housing to get super-utilizers out of the emergency room; campaigns for patients to gain access to stem cell treatments are gaining momentum; and why hospital/physician integration and consolidation probably won't lower costs.

In the last 5 years urgent care has seen a rise in popularity. Here are 5 facts about urgent care clinics.

The Endocrine Society notes that diabetes has become more prevalent as people report sleeping fewer hours per night.

At the Cancer Moonshot Summit, Vice President Joe Biden cautioned research scientists to expect funding cuts if they failed to report, in a timely manner, the findings of clinical trials.

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: one doctor makes the case for the FDA moving away from a simple approval/no approval system; Massachusetts and Gilead come to an agreement over hepatitis C drug rebates; and Georgia considers Medicaid expansion.

How does a state with almost no money launch Medicaid expansion? Louisiana health officials used data they already had, and in doing so have created a model that could be used elsewhere.

More than one-third of patients with atrial fibrillation who are have a moderate to high risk for stroke are being treated with aspirin, even though it is well known that blood thinners provide more protection.

The lawsuit seeks an additional 7 years' protection for the popular cholesterol drug, which sold 20.3 million prescriptions last year.

CMS has announced that the Oncology Care Model (OCM) developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has 196 practices and 17 payers enrolled for participation.

The 17-member panel will hold 5 public meetings to review evidence before issuing its report. The last set of guidelines was published in 2008.

The citation from the World Economic Forum allows the digital behavioral health company to participate in the annual meeting of new champions.Some will also participate in the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

When the topic of affordability of healthcare comes up, people usually mean the price of healthcare, but there is a difference, said Tomas Philipson, PhD, of the University of Chicago, at the ISPOR Annual Meeting.

What we're reading, June 29, 2016: CMS is considering changes to the proposed Medicare Part B demonstration; Senate Democrats block the GOP's Zika funding bill; and a Bloomberg analysis shines light on the pricing practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

A newly formed data-sharing initiative, Oncology Precision Network (OPeN), is promising a boost to precision medicine via data access to several health systems and cancer patients in the nation.

Improved health literacy will help consumers understand plans and benefits so that they can make better decisions and Florida Blue has focused on experiential marketing where customers are engaged in community events, outreach programs, and educational sessions, explained Anne Jessup, senior director of digital channels at Florida Blue.

Maximizing the utility of technology platforms and making them meaningful to ensure quality cancer care was the underlying theme of Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Health Information Technology, a National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit.

Nearly one-third of American consumers report experiencing a steep increase over the last year in prices paid for drugs they routinely take, which is having a spillover effect on all phases of their lives.

A combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir (Epclusa) that is effective against all 6 major forms of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has received the FDA’s consent to market.

What we're reading, June 28, 2016: Illinois approves Aetna-Humana merger; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care reaches value-based payment agreements with Novartis and Eli Lilly; and the Supreme Court struck down key aspects of the Texas abortion law.

Six former FDA commissioners participated in a discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival on the challenges that the agency faces and whether it is well equipped to do its job.

The rising cost of drugs is a cause for concern among various stakeholders in healthcare, some of who worry that staying on the current trajectory will “break the bank,” said panelists during a session at the ISPOR Annual Meeting.