News

Almost 13 million young adults did not have health insurance coverage in 2008. Although young adults are less likely to suffer from chronic conditions they have distinct healthcare needs.

It is possible for hospitals to provide high value to Medicare and commercial payers.

About half of healthcare institutions in the United States provide art therapy services, with positive results.

As with any significant market regulation, the provisions in healthcare reform will undoubtedly change over time.

Better management of chronic conditions will be critical to the future of healthcare delivery, according to Tracey Moorhead.

First on the reform agenda is an overhaul of the formula for calculating Medicare Advantage payments.

PPACA promises to eventually close the coverage gap for seniors.

Under pressure from the Obama administration, insurers say they will not deny health coverage for sick children pending new regulations, and would follow the intent of the law, not the exact language of it.

The reform law provides for and expansion of Medicaid recipients and dependent children as well as an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The new Medicare Advisory Board will have broad responsibility to make recommendations to reduce spending in the Medicare program.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded more than $119 million to states and U.S. territories to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking.

With more people gaining access to affordable coverage and an increasing elderly population, America will need more general internists and other primary care doctors than the primary care physician supply, according to the American College of Physicians (ACP).

AARP?s Public Policy Institute finds that average manufacturer price increases for brand-name and specialty prescription drugs widely used by Medicare beneficiaries continued to outstrip the price increases for other consumer goods and services.

Survey results show that the majority of employer clients are strongly considering adopting some of the more progressive strategies to encourage the use of lower-cost generic medications.

Despite being known teratogenic agents contraindicated in pregnancy, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) are being increasingly prescribed to women with hypertension during their childbearing years.

Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are less likely to develop fatal outcomes when given ticagrelor instead of clopidogrel as an antiplatelet medication, new research indicates.

Physicians who check the DNA of patients before initiating warfarin therapy are more likely to provide the correct dose, avoiding the possibility of readmittance to a hospital.

On March 12, 2010, FDA announced that the manufacturers of clopidogrel, an antiplatelet agent given to reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina, stroke, and cardiovascular death in patients with cardiovascular disease, will be placing a new black box warning into the drug's prescribing information.

New molecular entity: Velaglucerase alpha for injection (VPRIV) was approved February 2010 as an enzyme replacement therapy for the long-term treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease in pediatric and adult patients.

A randomized controlled trial of recent stroke survivors found that patients receiving the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram had greater improvement in global cognitive function than those receiving placebo or Problem Solving Therapy.

Generic drugs approved by FDA (through February 2010): Tamsulosin hydrochloride capsules, 0.4 mg, Imiquimod cream, 5%, Diltiazem hydrochloride extended-release tablets

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in patients with diabetes mellitus, accounting for 50% of all deaths. Dyslipidemia is an important modifiable risk factor in diabetic patients and represents a key area for intervention in these patients. Diabetic patients have a lipid profile characterized by low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and an increase in triglyceride levels. Diabetics have increased numbers of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) particles but with a shift to smaller, denser LDL-C particles. The net effect is that patients with type 2 diabetes do not have substantially higher LDL-C concentrations than patients without diabetes.

Naproxcinod, a cyclooxygenase-inhibiting nitric oxide donor, is pending FDA approval for the indications of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Treating osteoarthritis pain can be challenging because many agents commonly used for this indication carry potential risk for increased cardiovascular events including increased blood pressure, increased upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and increased hepatotoxicity.

New added financial incentives are slated to drive adoption of electronic health record systems by doctors and hospitals, and increased government funding may finally lead to standards for interoperability and e-health exchanges necessary for the free flow of secure health data.

Recent FDA approvals (through April 2010) related to Silenor, Carbaglu, Hizentra, Norditropin FlexPro, Xifaxan, Differin, Botox

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Recent experience points to specific areas where waste may be embedded inadvertently in routine processes. Once discovered, some have relatively easy fixes.

The bad news: PBMs have the weakest performance on the aspects that matter most to employers.