News

EHRs must support clinical optimization and care management to move to the next level

More than 30% of Medicare Part D beneficiaries who receive opioid prescriptions are prescribed them from multiple providers, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. This practice, which goes against recommended guidelines of a single provider prescribing opioids for a patient, was found to be associated with higher rates of opioid-related hospitalization.

Only four stars or more get 5% bump

From Mark Farrah Associates

Breakthrough Therapy Designation given to daclatasvir and asunaprevir

Medicare is considering discontinuing coverage of circulating tumor cell (CTC) assays for beneficiaries across West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Highmark will become the Blue affiliate for BCNEPA’s 13-county service area.

Seen as a 'war on seniors'

Hep C drugs offer significant advantages, but payers must define payment approaches for optimal utilization.

FDA approved droxidopa (Northera, Chelsea Therapeutics) capsules for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH).

Actavis plans to purchase Forest Laboratories for approximately $25 billion in a cash and equity deal, creating a combination of “two of the world’s fastest growing specialty pharmaceutical companies, with combined annual revenues of more than $15 billion in 2015,” according to a Feb. 18 announcement.

Pharmacy as a profession dropped a few notches to fifth place in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings for all jobs and placed third on the list of best healthcare jobs, behind nurse practitioner and dentist. It had placed third as the best profession overall last year.

And the bottom five, too

Boehringer Ingelheim is facing lawsuits in the United States over claims that dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa) capsules, a blood-thinner used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, causes severe and fatal bleeding.

More than 14% of pregnant women were prescribed opioids for pain at some time during their pregnancy, according to a study published online in Anesthesiology.

Michigan will be the first state to standardize concentrations for children’s liquid prescriptions, due to a statewide initiative to reduce pediatric medication errors.

Nearly 12% of Medicare patients who receive inpatient rehabilitation following discharge from acute-care hospitalization are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after discharge from the rehabilitation facility, according to a study in the Feb. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A bipartisan bill, recently introduced in the House of Representatives, would help to combat the abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine among teenagers.

Only 5% of spending goes to primary care

Industry sounds off on healthcare using hashtag on Valentine's day; goes viral.

Pushback on narrow networks likely the reason behind administration's new tweak

Critics caution that the employer mandate will drive firms to cut hours and cut positions to avoid the responsibility.

Combination therapy with a lower-intensity statin and bile acid sequestrant or ezetimibe lowered LDL cholesterol similar to or better than higher-intensity statin monotherapy among patients with high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), according to a study published February 11 online in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Taking low-dose aspirin regularly can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute. However, more research is needed before any recommendations are instituted.

Sixty-two percent of enrollees choose Silver plans

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), FDA, 10 biopharmaceutical companies, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and several nonprofit organizations have launched an unprecedented public/private partnership to “transform the current model for developing new diagnostics and treatments by jointly identifying and validating promising biological targets of disease,” announced a recent statement from the NIH.

After examining the latest research on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)-specifically whether naproxen carries lower cardiovascular (CV) risks than ibuprofen-an FDA panel has voted down the CV safety claim for naproxen.

SGR fix moves toward accountable care