News

Don't fall for these three common myths about members.

BCBSTX is under fire for allegedly inflating premiums and holding a market monopoly.

States must market insurance exchanges with a cohesive brand.

Many are speculating what PPACA will mean for medical costs, but some industry experts say that costs will decrease.

The government requires Part D plans to offer MTM services and report outcomes.

Customize your provider networks to prepare for healthcare's new consumer-drive market.

Unnecessary diagnostic tests are harmful to patients and costly for health plans.

The specialty pharmacy market is currently fragmented with extreme variation in knowledge and education, patient care management, service, and outcomes.

Last month, the National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed 10 behavioral-health quality measures

Experts are paying closer attention to medication reconciliation as a means to curb cost, but providers are finding the implementation isn't always easy.

More than $8 billion has been saved this year as a result of the American Medical Association's (AMA) Heal the Claims Process campaign

A study of 1.7 million patients with diabetes indicates that reducing inflammation of the mouth can produce improvement in other health measures.

While most states have policies to evaluate premium increases, the Rate Review Program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) puts a brighter spotlight on states' authority.

FDA has approved cabozantinib (Cometriq, Exelixis and AstraZeneca) for the treatment of progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

Patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who also have diabetes experienced similar safety and efficacy with dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa) 150 mg or dabigatran 110 mg relative to warfarin, in comparison to patients without diabetes who have NVAF, according to data presented at American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

An FDA advisory panel voted against making oxybutynin transdermal patch (Oxytrol, Merck and Watson Pharma) available over-the-counter (OTC) for overactive bladder (OAB) in women, Medpage Today reported.

The Obama administration moved ahead to implement provisions in the healthcare law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. Other provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also would make it easier for consumers to compare health plans and easier for employers to promote and encourage employee wellness.

Prostaglandin inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex, Pfizer) and indomethacin (Indocin, Merck and Lundbeck) and calcium channel blockers, such as nifedipine and nicardipine (Cardene, Cornerstone Therapeutics) had the highest probability of delaying premature labor by 48 hours and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, according to a systemic review and network meta-analysis published in a recent issue of BMJ.

Low back pain may be difficult to self-manage, study says Self-management has small effects on pain and disability in people with low back pain, according to a study published online in Arthritis Care & Research.

Blue Shield of California is collaborating on a ?continuous learning center? (CLC) designed for ACO implementation.

Employers want return of investment for their wellness programs. Here are five trends to look for in wellness incentives in 2013.

PPACA defines a minimum level of coverage as "Essential Health Benefits." States must meet certain benchmarks across 10 categories.

When it comes to federal spending reductions, everything is on the table, including healthcare reforms.

Prescription-drug treatment regimens for conditions are a normal part of aging are now costing the nation more than many serious and potentially life-threatening disease, according to new research from Express Scripts.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg was asked if the fungal meningitis outbreak could have been prevented by FDA during a 4-hour hearing Nov. 14 headed by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee. Her answer was that FDA had limited authority because the New England Compounding Center (NECC), Framingham, Mass., was a ?compounding pharmacy,? which is regulated by the state Board of Pharmacy.

Sanofi is lowering the price of ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap) for previously treated colorectal cancer by half after physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) said that they would not use the drug, according to The New York Times.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has updated its clinical practice guidelines on use of antiplatelet drugs during heart surgery. The new guideline, published in the November 2012 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, takes into account newly available antiplatelet therapies, new scientific information, and a broader use of antiplatelet drugs such as before lung and vascular procedures, according to Newswise.

FDA has fast-tracked etirinotecan pegol (NKTR-102) (Nektar Therapeutics) for the treatment of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer progressing after treatment with an anthracycline, a taxane, and capecitabine (ATC).

James D. Coffey, RPh, director of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, has been removed from his position after allegedly failing to follow up on a complaint about the New England Compounding Pharmacy (NECC) from the Colorado Board of Pharmacy in July. In addition, Susan Manning, the Massachusett’s Board attorney has been placed on administrative leave, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Investigators from the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an aggressive public health response following a single case of Aspergillus fumigatus meningitis in an immunocompetent adult who had received an epidural injection of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate at a clinic in Tennessee, according to a report published Nov. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.