News

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is no longer recommending the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test for healthy men

Lower utilization and steady service costs bode well for managed care overall.

Patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) are gaining traction with increasing support from health plans, based on their promise to lower costs.

Private exchanges are moving aggressively to address the challenges of providing quality healthcare at an affordable price, according to experts.

It is important to consider the impact the federally mandated coverage provisions might have on enrollment.

When it comes to predicting geographic variations in cost, what's true for Medicare doesn't necessarily hold for the commercial populations.

Patient privacy remains a key issue for health plans, according to a new survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

As expected, the Supreme Court will decide if key provisions of the healthcare overhaul law violate the Constitution.

Paying for performance will cause many health plans to rethink how they contract with provider networks, and experts say there are tremendous changes ahead.

While health plans might point to legislation and expansion of public programs as a hindrance, an increase in administrative services only (ASO) arrangements is taking a bite out of the business as well

The advent of ACOs will reshape healthcare delivery, however, the commercial market is positioned to drive the revolution much faster.

To fight the rising cost of healthcare, some companies are cutting back but, it doesn't help employees become healthier.

FDA has changed the label for fenofibric acid (Trilipix, Abbott). It now carries a warning that the agent may not lower the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke.

All children and adolescents should be screened for high cholesterol, and children as young as aged 10 should be considered for treatment with statins, according to the latest update from an expert panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation have issued new guidelines for secondary prevention and risk reduction in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Some essential chemotherapy drugs are in short supply for the first time in the United States, according to the October 3 New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA is requiring that manufacturers of tumor necrosis factor blockers perform enhanced safety surveillance, the agency said on November 3 in an ongoing safety review of this class of biologic products.

FDA has approved aflibercept (Eylea Injection, Regeneron), known in the scientific literature as VEGF Trap-Eye, for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration in patients aged 60 and older at a recommended dose of 2 mg every 4 weeks (monthly) for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2 mg every 8 weeks (2 months).

FDA approved ruxolitinib (Jakafi, Incyte) for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF, and post-essential thrombocythemia MF.

FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, announced the agency's decision to revoke the breast cancer indication for bevacizumab (Avastin), noting that the benefits do not outweigh the potentially life-threatening side effects, such as heart attack or heart failure, high blood pressure, bleeding and hemorrhaging, and the development of perforations in different parts of the body, such as the nose, stomach, and intestines.

Davis leaves a legacy of health policy research and practical improvments

The Archon Genomics X PRIZE presented by Medco will measure teams on accuracy, cost, speed and completeness of genome sequencing. The goal is to push the industry to develop, more accurate, faster and more cost effective sequencing technologies.

Two University of Michigan (UM) developed healthcare initiatives were recommended to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in an Institute of Medicine report about the future of the nation’s healthcare.

Medicare Advantage plans may have a difficult time attaining four- and five-star ratings under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating System if they don’t keep up with the system’s changes.

Epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease

New formulation: Tapentadol extended release tablets were FDA approved for the management of moderate-to-severe chronic persistence pain requiring continuous maintenance in adults.

This study aims to illuminate anticoagulation prophylaxis practice patterns in the United States after total joint replacement surgery.

Safety information chagnes to the package insert for bevacizumab were issued by FDA on September 30, 2011.

The outcry from physicians, pharmacists, and patients over disruptions in supplies of vital medicines to treat cancer, pain, and other serious conditions is drawing attention from the White House, Congress and the broader healthcare system.

Switching hospitalized patients able to take medication by mouth from intravenous to pill forms of the same drugs could safely save millions of dollars a year.