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What we're reading, December 6, 2016: Members of the GOP are unhappy with the leadership's plans for a 3-year repeal and replace of Obamacare; California bill would require superbugs be listed on death certificates; and Novo Nordisk promises to limit drug price hikes.

With MACRA, providers gain access to financial incentives for value-based care, and patient engagement becomes crucial.

An analysis of per capita Medicare spending among beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions reveals wide geographic variations in costs across the US, with similar spending levels often seen in counties neighboring one another.

The study found that periodic interruptions over the course of the day were better for improving levels of insulin resistance than a single burst of exercise.

Putting Care at the Center is bringing together innovators from across the country to network, learn from each other, and create a shared agenda for the emerging field of complex care.

The group that represents 5000 hospitals outlined a policy agenda that calls for regulatory reform but also seeks some certainty that patients who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act will be able to retain it in the future.

What we're reading, December 5, 2016: insurers may be turning a corner with Obamacare plans; selling insurance across state lines may be a difficult initiative to implement; and older Americans are not diligent about getting vaccinations.

Prescription drug spending didn't rise as much as it did in 2014, but it still outpaced all other categories.

Researchers considered finding a diabetes drug that also produced a cardiovascular benefit to be a "holy grail."

The phenomenon of "yo-yo" dieting has health consequences and frustrates dieters themselves. Studies show each round of weight loss and weight regain produces harsher metabolic effects.

NICE recommends pembrolizumab for use in advanced lung cancer following additional data review and a further discount in price.

What we’re reading, December 2, 2016: Johnson & Johnson must pay $1 billion to patients injured by Pinnacle hip implants; 3 organizations join forces on initiative to prevent suicides in physicians and medical trainees; the American Hospital Association has sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump with a list of requests for his administration.

Research from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute, published in Nature, has identified genomic changes that could explain the development of testicular cancer and why this disease is more responsive to chemotherapy.

In a show of bipartisanship, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century Cures Act on November 30 by a vote of 392-26. Here are 5 things to know about the legislation.

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

This week, the top stories in managed care included the president-elect's picks for HHS and CMS, the American Diabetes Association addressed psychosocial care for patients with diabetes, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology released criteria on creating clinical pathways.

The physicians said the American Medical Association abandoned a core mission of protecting patients by endorsing a nominee who wants to roll back Medicaid expansion and privatize Medicare.

The CDC has now published the Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): Recommendations and Reports, to provide guidance for antibiotic stewardship in outpatient settings.

An analysis of 150 US cities’ stress rankings and the CMS star ratings of the hospitals within them reveals a significant correlation between the 2 factors, indicating that more-stressed cities tend to have lower hospital star ratings.

Interim data analysis of a phase 1 trial of chimeric antigen receptor-T cells (CAR-T) targeting the B-cell maturation antigen in heavily pretreated patients with multiple myeloma has identified an objective anti-tumor response, with limited toxicity.

The study found that avoiding 3 key risk factors-diabetes, obesity, and hypertension-by age 45, greatly increased the likelihood of avoiding heart failure through the end of life.

The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs was launched to create a space for innovators to work together to identify the best evidence-based models for improving care for the relatively small population of patients with complex health and social needs that drives a disproportionate share of our healthcare costs.

What we’re reading, December 1, 2016: the percentage of Republicans that would like to see the Affordable Care Act scaled back instead of repealed has more than doubled since the election; smoking will soon be prohibited in all public housing nationwide; some physicians are incensed by the American Medical Association’s support for Rep. Tom Price as HHS secretary.

The House of Representatives has approved the bipartisan 21st Century Cures legislation, which includes funding for innovative biomedical research and provisions to speed up the drug approval process.

Statin use was associated with a reduction in all-cause and multiple myeloma-specific mortality.

The study found young adults had the lowest device uptake, as well as highest distress levels and the highest A1C.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on health will gather testimonial from leaders of the US Preventive Services Task Force, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Urologic Association, on a bill called H.R. 1151.

The amount of Americans under age 65 in families having trouble paying medical bills has dropped significantly over the past 5 years, according to a survey report from the National Center for Health Statistics. The percentage of children in families that struggle to pay healthcare bills has steadily declined as well, though as of June 2016 it remained higher than the percentage of such adults.

Though they may not directly provide patient care for their members, managed care organizations (MCOs) play a substantial role in the patient experience of millions of Medicaid enrollees.

There has been increased bipartisan support around the expanded role of value-based insurance design.