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The lead author of a study appearing this month in Diabetes Care said other data support his findings, pointing to the potential for the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin to replace metformin as first-line therapy.

Another study examining the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria last year came up with another number that is higher than the official death toll of 64. Using records of vital statistics, the researchers said there were at least 1139 excess deaths.

The once-monthly self-injected calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitor is now approved in the European Union, Switzerland, the United States, and Australia.

Researchers recently found that the use of a standardized electronic health system–based order set to manage acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was linked to a decreased reduction in steroid dose and length of stay in the hospital.

Current therapy management mainly comprises of attempting to delay disease progression in neurodegenerative diseases but have been unable to reverse the myelin damage already done.

Major insurers are now seeking smaller, single-digit premium increases for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans; drug makers and distributors of painkillers being sued for their alleged role in the opioid crisis are trying to build goodwill by giving grants and donations to hard-hit counties, cities, and states that are filing the lawsuits; hundreds of people have sued Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka, alleging that the drug Abilify caused compulsive behavior.

The research and therapeutic options are limited for skeletal abnormalities found in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)—a haploinsufficient and multisystemic disease caused by inherited or sporadic mutations in the NF1 gene. However, denosumab may be an effective treatment option for osteoporosis in patients with NF1, according to a recent case report.

Two days after a critical report into the quality and care of hospices caring for Medicare beneficiaries, CMS released a final payment rule for 2019, giving providers an increase of $340 million, and said it will update the information on its Hospice Compare website.

Developmental issues, such as impaired brain growth, are more likely to occur in children with HIV than those without the virus.

Researchers have found that transitional care management (TCM) services are associated with reductions in mortality and total Medicare costs; however, adoption of these services has remained low since the implementation of TCM payment codes in 2013.

Because the majority of a patient’s time is spent outside the clinic, physicians may find it difficult to arrive at an accurate assessment of performance status (PS) for patients who have advanced cancer. Objectively evaluating PS, which measures a patient’s level of function and ability of self-care, can be challenging, but new research suggests that fitness trackers may help clinicians gain better insight into their patients’ PS.

The Trump administration Wednesday released a final rule regarding short-term, limited-duration health plans, expanding their duration to 12 months, with renewals that last up to 3 years.

A literature review published in the July issue of Health Affairs concluded that value-based insurance design (VBID) programs that reduced consumer cost-sharing for prescription drugs led to improved medication adherence at no added cost.

Previous research has revealed that poor sleep quality is common among those with migraine. New study results point to similar findings for those with probable migraine—a subtype of migraine that is common in the general population.

For the second year in a row, the average basic premium for a Medicare Part D plan will decline; a series of charts in The Wall Street Journal highlights what is driving US healthcare spending; taking a break from exercising can have metabolic consequences that linger for some people even after they return to their normal levels of exercise.

Fenfluramine, a drug that was previously sold as an appetite suppressant before it was withdrawn from the market in 1997 over concerns about its link to heart valve problems, may have a new application; low doses of fenfluramine hydrochloride have now proven successful in treating Dravet syndrome, a particularly severe form of epilepsy.

A report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at HHS synthesized 10 years of research about the Medicare Hospice Program and found deficiencies in patient care, inappropriate billing, and even fraud. Patients went without pain medicine, hospices did not always provide the right level of care or provided poor quality care, billed for unnecessary care, enrolled people who were not eligible for care, or billed for services that were never provided.

When the CMS released performance reports for the 181 practices enrolled in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) earlier this year, the action had the effect of creating as much confusion as it resolved.

Special nutrition bars seem to have a beneficial effect on lung function in patients with noneosinophilic, low-inflammation asthma and obesity, according to a new study.

Screening rates for cervical, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers in the United States fall short of Healthy People 2020 targets and significant disparities exist among subgroups.

With the evaluation period for the Oncology Care Model at its midway point, there is an opportunity to discuss how the program and other bundled payment programs can better deliver on aims to provide higher quality care at the same or lower cost.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma seem to be on the losing end of a debate with White House economic and finance officials about allowing a partial Medicaid expansion to stamp out growing calls to allow a full expansion; more than 60 House Democrats launched a Medicare for All caucus this month, a sign of the popularity surrounding the concept of a government-run health system; Juul Labs, maker of the tiny, USB-flash-drive-sized electronic cigarette, has been hit with 3 lawsuits so far that allege it is marketing its product to children and teenagers.

We've rounded up the top 5 articles of July, including changes being touted for the 340B program and a global report urging countries to think seriously about planning for high quality care.

Community health centers are on the front lines of addressing the opioid epidemic, and those in Medicaid expansion states seem to be better equipped to respond to the crisis.

Both asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), both chronic conditions, have been associated with each other in previous studies, but questions remained as to the strength of the association because of other possible confounders. A new review of published data, followed by a population-based study, says the association remains after controlling for possible confounders.

The system was the first to allow people with diabetes to monitor blood glucose without fingersticks.

While overall cardiac deaths have dropped in recent decades, sudden cardiac deaths have not seen a similar decrease. Of the 200,000 people who have a sudden cardiac arrest in the hospital, only 24% survive.

CMS approved a $200 million state reinsurance plan for Wisconsin, sought by Republican Governor Scott Walker as a way to keep premiums down in the state’s individual market.

Treatment options for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who relapse after an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) are limited, but those who are able to receive intensive interventions receive a second allo-HCT or donor lymphocyte infusion. A study in JAMA Oncology sought to compare the 2 options for patients who relapse.

Medicare has lowered its star ratings for staffing levels in 1 out of 11 nursing homes; the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has donated to a lobbying group running a "dark money" campaign in favor of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act; a libertarian policy center funded by the conservative Koch brothers found that Senator Bernie Sanders's Medicare for All plan would cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years.