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CMS Monday released a scorecard that reports quality metrics voluntarily reported by states for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as federally reported measures, but the association that represents state Medicaid directors expressed some concerns with the scorecard’s data and what sorts of conclusions may be drawn from them, given the huge variability of state programs, essentially giving it a score of “needs improvement.”

Deaths from treatable conditions may cost the world $6 trillion a year in lost economic welfare, according to a study led by Harvard Medical School researchers and published in the June issue of Health Affairs. Eight million deaths could have been avoided in 2015 with proper access to high-quality medical care.

A new study published in Health Affairs hopes to provide an explanation of the evidence for the pros and cons of Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a systematic literature review, finding that expansion was associated with increases in coverage, service use, quality of care, and Medicaid spending.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers found that fingolimod (sold as Gilenya), an FDA-approved orally administered drug to treat multiple sclerosis, could reduce painful side effects of multiple myeloma treatments.

Public health messaging has typically focused on the volume of walking not the intensity. This study suggests for those with limited time, a faster pace could make a difference.

An experimental drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutations in the gene encoding isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) was found to be safe with durable remissions.

Heath advocates in other states are hopeful about Medicaid expansion after Virginia expanded healthcare for the poor last week; prices of drugs containing estradiol have doubled in the past 5 years; an entrepreneur from Colorado is pitching a plan to save a tiny, bankrupt rural hospital in California by using the 26-bed hospital to bill insurers for lab tests via telemedicine.

A high assessment test score for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may predict anxiety in patients, a recent study reported.

The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to bluebird bio, Inc’s Lenti-D, a gene therapy for patients with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, an X-linked genetic disorder caused by a defect in the gene ABCD1.

Two abstracts presented at the International Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting highlighted patient experiences in blood cancers. One highlighted the worries of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, and the other analyzed economic burdens and resource utilization for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Depression is one of the comorbidities of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but not much is known about the characteristics of depression in people with early COPD. A recent study indicated that patients with early COPD who had depression were more likely to have a lower quality of life, be females, live alone, and have a low income.

CMS reported that 91% of all clinicians eligible for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) participated in the first year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP), surpassing the agency’s goal of 90%.

The top status comes as digital providers, such as Omada Health, are trying to convince CMS to include them in the Medicare National Diabetes Prevention Program program.

Exercise and healthy eating can have substantial impacts on reducing the risk of or managing serious chronic health conditions. However, in order to see the benefits of these health-protective behaviors, patients need to perform them consistently.

Erenumab is the first calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitor to be approved by the FDA for the prevention of migraine. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review assessed the comparative effectiveness and value of erenumab with 2 other CGRP inhibitors that are still under FDA review.

There are significant racial and socioeconomic disparities to consider when assessing adolescent asthma outcomes, especially since approximately 50% of adolescents with asthma-like symptoms go undiagnosed.

This week, the top managed care stories include Senator Bill Cassidy's new plan to lower healthcare costs; policy recommendations from the American Diabetes Association on how to lower insulin prices; and coverage from the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, wrote FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, to make clear the intent of the federal “right-to-try” law he authored; the number of opioid prescriptions has fallen by 22% between 2013 and 2017; inadequate record-keeping, policy gaps and limited research are leaving military veterans in limbo and struggling to get care from the Department of Veterans Affairs if their claims for brain injuries are related to the use of weapons in training instead of in combat.

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

Although accountable care organizations cover more than 32 million people in the United States, the financial savings have been limited and the outcomes are unknown. Place-based approaches aimed at integrating care, improving population health, and controlling costs may be beneficial to adopt as the United States moves away from mandatory participation in payment reform.

Two studies presented at the International Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting investigated the economic and clinical burdens on patients diagnosed with migraine.

A new immunotherapy referred to as the "Toca regimen" is being investigated in a phase 2/3 randomized, multicenter, open-label trial.

Which data, policy, and information gaps exist throughout the healthcare system and need filling in order to combat opioid use disorder (OUD) through better prevention and treatment strategies? Two recent reports discuss how these gaps are worsening efforts to fight OUD.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have defined a new pathway that may help guide therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.

Two study abstracts presented at the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting look at the cost burden of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). One analyzed the lifetime cost of relapsed/refractory DLBCL, including third-line and subsequent treatments, and the other examined how being diagnosed with DBLCL can increase the cost burden of chronic conditions among Medicare beneficiaries.

The results support other evidence that suggests the link between irregular eating patterns and diabetes is distinctly different from the one that drives obesity.

Inconsistencies and lack of evidence in opioid prescribing guidelines are confusing clinicians who care for long-term patients with cancer and survivors and have the potential to jeopardize patients’ pain management, according to an opinion column in JAMA Oncology.

Mortality rates have stabilized and incidence rates of late-stage disease have started to increase after 2 decades of decreasing rates. At the same time, rates of prostate-specific antigen screening have declined.

President Donald Trump has signed the so-called "right-to-try" bill into law, and claimed that it would result in lower drug prices within weeks; New Jersey will implememt a statewide individual mandate requiring residents to have health insurance or pay a fee; in the United States, poor people are dying younger, with low socioeconomic status leading to people being sicker and dying earlier.

As this month marks the 15th anniversary, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) now supports over 14 million people globally with HIV treatment.