All News

What the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science thinks about the current controversy.

A study published in JAMA Oncology found that prediagnosis inflammation was associated with at-diagnosis sarcopenia, and the combination of the 2 nearly doubled the risk of death in patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer. Because the 2 biomarkers are commonly collected and potentially modifiable, there is potential for clinical use in prognostication and guiding intervention.

The top 5 most-read news stories included clinical content, such as an FDA approval, and policy news, such as Medicare reimbursement coverage.

Some states are considering implementing their own Obamacare individual mandates; a federal judge blocks a rule making it easier for employers to opt out of contraceptive coverage; Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, will miss tax bill vote, but the GOP should have enough votes.

On the plus side, a partnership with the American Medical Association appears to have contributed to a rise in provider referrals to lifestyle modification programs.

In a discovery that could potentially pave the way for more targeted treatments, researchers announced that dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has a unique genetic profile, separate from those of Alzheimer disease or Parkinson disease (PD). Researchers also found that DLB has heritability traits similar to PD.

Pfizer announced yesterday the initiation of a phase 3 trial for its once-daily Janus kinase 1- (JAK1) selective inhibitor, PF-04965842, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the drug for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

"The Oncology Drug Marketplace: Trends in Discounting and Site of Care," commissioned by the Community Onoclogy Alliance and conducted by Berkley Research Group, found that 340B hospitals have a clear financial incentive to expand oncology services; 340B hospitals receive over one-third of all Part B oncology drug reimbursement; a disproportionate share of the shift in site of care is attributable to 340B hospitals; and between 2010 and 2015, statutory discounts and rebates paid by manufacturers have almost tripled and put upward pricing pressure on drugs.

While personalized medicine has the potential to detect the onset of disease early and preempt disease progression, this promising field of medicine faces unique challenges in the US healthcare marketplace.

The majority of women who underwent a lumpectomy or a mastectomy reported not feeling fully informed of their treatment options, but the use of Web-based decision aids can help patients become informed, according to results of 2 new studies published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

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

Medicare is alleging laboratories improperly billed the government for improper tests; time is running out for children receiving healthcare from CHIP; the AMA extends its diabetes prevention model to Maryland and other states.

Discussions at the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) included progress reports on genetically modified immunotherapy treatments, a new treatment paradigm for advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, possibility of treatment-free remission in chronic myelogenous leukemia, and challenges with hospice utilization for patients with leukemia.

This week, the top managed care news included coverage from the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition; recommendations on the use of diabetes drugs with cardiovascular indications; and a new study found that despite changes in insurance plans to give consumers more clout, unnecessary medical spending remains a problem.

Niall Brennan, president of the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) and former CMS data chief, compared examples of national trends in spending, price, and utilization with the same trends in New Jersey to illustrate the power of data in a recent discussion with Garden State policy makers about data and transparency.

New legislation would suspend the Affordable Care Act’s medical device tax for 5 years; teenagers are now more likely to vape or use marijuana than smoke cigarettes; California women can access birth control at a pharmacist without a doctor’s prescription, but are unlikely to do so.

Despite effective pharmacology, many patients with asthma have impaired quality of life, but a new breathing retraining intervention can be used as a nonpharmacological intervention to treat asthma.

Examining insurance claims from millions of doctors' visits with daily rainfall totals from thousands of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather stations showed that there is no relationship between rainy weather and joint pain or an achy back, according to new research from Harvard Medical School.

An analysis of behaviors, community environment, policy, clinical care, and outcomes data has found a disturbing trend in mortality in the United States, with premature deaths, drug deaths, and cardiovascular deaths all increasing.

US healthcare spending is on the rise, and is expected to comprise over 20% of the gross domestic product by 2025. Current expenditures are expected to double by 2060 if the pace of spending in the past decade continues. In this healthcare landscape, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) have increasingly become the subject of scrutiny, as IVDs are perceived as contributing to soaring costs.

The FDA announced a website tool aimed at healthcare providers to help them make more educated prescribing decisions about antibiotics in an effort to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria.

The FDA has announced its launch of the “Every Try Counts” campaign, which will encourage smokers to quit by advertising messages of support underscoring the health benefits of quitting. The campaign will also focus on celebrating each quit attempt as a step towards success.

The future is bright with technological innovation intended to improve every corner of our lives and, accordingly, there has been a virtual explosion in advancements designed to address the many challenges faced by patients, hospitals, and healthcare professionals.

The FDA wants to enlist consumers to help identify troubling drug ads; DC's only public hospital needs a $17 million bailout; intense exercise can slow the progression of early-stage Parkinson disease.

Though rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often leads to destruction of joints, the bone marrow environment appears to be an important site for the pathological processes of RA. A new study investigating interleukin-17 (IL-17) in bone marrow explored the role that this cytokine plays in inflammation and the process of bone destruction.

Commissioned by the University of Utah Health and conducted by Leavitt Partners, the Value in Health Care Survey identified how 3 key stake holder groups (patients, physicians, and employers) define value and prioritize 3 components of the concept (quality, service, and cost).

As more millennials enter the healthcare workforce, health outcomes of the baby boomer generation increasingly will depend on the quality of communication with a generation that has grown up in a very different time.

A systematic review of biologics used in to treat palmoplantar psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis, 2 diseases that affect the palms and the soles of feet, found several available biologics are at least 80% effective in 1 form of the disease, but that there is less data on how well these drugs work on other forms of the disease.

Commonwealth Fund researchers said Medicare Advantage plans will need enhanced incentives to make sure that high-quality care is provided at lower cost, as the number of beneficiaries in these plans is expected to climb by 2027.

Would you rather have $60 today or $75 next month? Using similar questions, researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and 23andMe Inc. found a genetic signature for delay discounting that overlaps with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), smoking, and weight.