AJMC Staff

Hospices will receive a $520 million increase in payments from CMS in fiscal year 2020; urban areas accounted for more drug overdose deaths rates than rural areas in 2016 and 2017; a federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit against a California price transparency law can proceed.

Infant mortality rates in 2017 were not statistically different from those in 2016; a Google algorithm can predict sudden kidney deterioration 2 days in advance; the patent battle over the use of CRISPR genome editing continues.

Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate, the first of 2 days, included disagreements over the viability of Medicare for All; 3 insulin makers received subpoenas from the New York Attorney General over their pricing practices; US News & Report released its 30th Annual Best Hospitals rankings.

US District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that New Hampshire cannot move ahead with work requirements in exchange for Medicaid coverage; a study looking at 8 flavors of Juul e-liquids found the presence of acetals, irritating chemicals formed from alcohol and aldehydes, in the Crème brûlée flavor; Medicaid expansion advocates are petitioning Florida, Missouri, and Oklahoma to include ballot measures asking voters if they want to allow the federal healthcare program to cover more low-income adults.

Top professionals in neurology will convene in New York City for the first annual International Congress on the Future of Neurology to discuss the latest data and best practices to better inform clinical decision making. The meeting will be held September 27-28 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.

The Trump administration will not give Utah or other states federal funding to partially expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act; if a Medicare for all system operates the same way as traditional Medicare, the program would be “wastefully expensive,” authors warn; the creator of the widely used screening test to screen for early signs of cognitive decline is insisting on training for those who administer it.

Therapeutic drug monitoring that includes the measurement of trough concentrations and anti-drug antibodies, along with clinical response, is a tool for clinical decision making.

A recently study of rimegepant, an investigational oral calcitonin gene–related peptide receptor (CGRP) blocker for migraine, resulted in a higher percentage of patients relieved of pain over placebo.

Orphan drug status applies to therapies that will treat fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States.

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Amid a contentious debate, the Senate Finance Committee voted 19-9 to advance legislation introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to rein in drug costs in Medicare and Medicaid; a House of Representatives subcommittee accused Juul Labs, maker of the ubiqutious e-cigarette device blamed for a youth vaping epidemic, of targeting children through health promotion activities at about a half dozen schools and summer camps; at their annual meeting this week, governors from around the country are discussing what they will do if a federal appeals court invalidates the Affordable Care Act.

President Trump is preparing an executive order that would slash prices on nearly all drugs sold to Medicare; Allergan has recalled certain breast implants following 573 cases of implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma; a study has found 1 in 4 people intend to use antibiotics without a prescription.

The Senate on Tuesday approved funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund through 2090; the FDA is warning a leading marijuana company against illegally selling unapproved products containing cannabidiol (CBD); an implanted HIV drug may someday be able to prevent HIV for up to a year.

House Democrats will unveil a bill to lower drug prices in September; on Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture will unveil regulations to cut food stamp benefits for 3 million people; neither Purdue Pharma nor the FDA will release data about whether reformulated OxyContin, designed to prevent abuse, is actually achieving that goal.

A federal judge upheld the Trump administration's expansion of short-term health insurance plans that lack coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act; politicians and others call for change after The Washington Post published a government database tracking nationwide opioid distribution along with unsealed court documents showing the role of various companies in the drug crisis; the plight of mentally ill refugees in the mix of detained undocumented immigrants is going unnoticed.

A new initiative seeking to transform healthcare delivery will elevate precision medicine with a focus on cancer, Alzheimer disease, cardiovascular disease, and more.

The authors said their case highlights how t(15; 17) by itself is never sufficient to diagnose acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) without confirmation by other methods.

While obesity is frequently observed in patients with psoriatic disease, it is even more common in those who have only psoriasis alone, researchers said.

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CVS is lauching a clinical trial for a new device that would allow patients with kidney disease to receive dialysis at home; in response to the Trump administration's family planning rule, Planned Parenthood of Illinois will stop accepting Title X funding so providers can discuss abortion as an option when counseling pregnant women; the Environmental Protection Agency will not ban the use of controversial pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to health issues in infants anf children.

The House voted to repeal the Cadillac tax, which, after being delayed twice, was expected to go into effect in 2022; provisional data releaased by the CDC indicate that drug overdose rates have dropped for the first time in 3 decades; the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed comments with the FDA urging it to take a more active role in regulating marijuana.

Researchers are closing in on a sought after goal of a blood test that can detect posssible signs of Alzheimer disease and other forms of dementia; Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen, MD, has been ousted after 8 months; Abbott Laboratories is ramping up manufacturing capacity for its lower-cost continuing glucose monitor FreeStyle Libre.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have overbilled the government by nearly $30 billion the past 3 years alone, and CMS said it is moving forward with plans to attempt to get back $1 billion; the Biden Cancer Initiative is suspending operations while its founder, former Vice President Joe Biden, runs for president; CMS said Medicare will cover acupuncture for some patients with chronic low back pain.

In the event that the Affordable Care Act is overturned, Republic senators are working on a plan to preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allow children to stay on their parents’ health plan until age 26; urinary tract infections (UTI) are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics; a study is highlighting how lifestyle choices can impact dementia risk.

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The Federal Communications Commission has proposed the 3-year, $100 million program to bring telehealth to low-income patients, veterans, and areas lacking access to adequate healthcare; use of opioids in Medicare Part D declined in 2018 as use of medication-assisted treatment increased; a House committee held a hearing on identifying, preventing, and treating childhood trauma as a public health issue.

HHS has launched a summit to streamline and improve quality programs across the agency; more than 160 children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) appeared before a Senate committee to ask for more funding for the Special Diabetes Program; the CDC has confirmed 11 cases of a rare polio-like illness in 8 states.

Amid fears of large coverage losses, New Hampshire is delaying its Medicaid work requirements; California has become the first state to offer Medicaid to young undocumented immigrants; physicians have delivered a healthy baby from the transplanted uterus of a deceased donor for the first time in the United States.

The Trump administration is expected to unveil a series of initiatives on Wednesday, including new payment models to overhaul kidney disease care; a report from the inspector general of HHS found widespread hospice deficiencies; the number of undocumented immigrant children in California’s Medicaid program is slowly declining even as the state prepares to expand coverage to undocumented young adults.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will hear arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit backed by the Trump administration seeking to reverse the Affordable Care Act (ACA); legislators return from a holiday break to try and reach an agreement on healthcare cost issues; a growing number of Americans in rural areas are turning to telehealth appointments amid hospital closings and a shortage of local primary care doctors, specialists, and other providers.