Christina Mattina

A white paper commissioned by the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) delved into the practice of “direct and indirect remuneration” fees administered by pharmacy benefit managers and how they could drive up drug prices for Medicare Part D beneficiaries and taxpayers.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate federal judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat, which could have important implications for healthcare-related cases.

Officials from HHS and the Government Accountability Office testified before a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee about waste, fraud, and abuse under the Affordable Care Act.

The collaboration between Purdue Pharma and the Virginia Department of Health comes about 2 months after Governor Terry McAuliffe declared the state’s opioid addiction crisis a public health emergency.

A recent survey of consumers found that 1 in 5 were willing to switch from their current primary care physician to one that offered telehealth visits. Researchers noted a particular interest among the survey respondents in using telehealth to manage a chronic illness or get a prescription refilled.

A pair of commentaries published in the New England Journal of Medicine explored the popularity of the Affordable Care Act among both US physicians and residents of red states that have expanded Medicaid. Legislators preparing to repeal the law will need to contend with the widespread support for some of its components, even in unexpected regions of the nation.

A study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated at a Veterans Administration hospital in New York found an unexpected relationship: the veterans who were undertreated according to treatment guidelines had lower rates of COPD exacerbation events.

The FDA’s anti-smoking campaign warning teens about “The Real Cost” of cigarettes was successful at preventing smoking initiation, according to the results of a nationwide survey. However, another study found that levels of e-cigarette use have increased among adolescents unlikely to start smoking cigarettes.

Patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who relapsed following first-line treatment had higher rates of healthcare utilization and greater costs than the patients who had not relapsed.

A study published last October indicated that hospitalist groups with a higher ratio of physician assistants to physicians achieved the same outcomes at lower cost in a community hospital setting. Lead author Timothy Capstack, MD, explained to The American Journal of Managed Care® how these hospitalist models can benefit patients in a variety of healthcare settings.

Rates of food insecurity remain high in American Indian communities, and a recent study indicates that inadequate food quality and quantity may put these populations at higher risk of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.

The use of health information technology in small primary care practices continues to rise, but a recent study found that the extent of its adoption varies based on practice size, ownership, and financial incentives.

Patients with rare diseases often turn to the Internet for information on their illness, but an analysis of some of these websites found that their content often failed to meet important quality criteria and neglected key information categories.

The results showed that obinutuzumab-based immunochemotherapy and maintenance improved progression-free survival in treatment-naïve patients with follicular lymphoma.

A study in a mouse model found that mice receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T immunotherapy plus ibrutinib demonstrated longer overall survival and reduced cytokine production than the mice not treated with ibrutinib.

During a Public Health Grand Rounds seminar hosted by the CDC on Tuesday, 3 experts from different vantage points within the healthcare system discussed why opioid use disorder presents unique challenges in women and what can be done to address this crisis.

After the Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand Medicaid eligibility for low-income residents, 25 states and the District of Columbia chose to do so by 2014. A team of researchers from Brown University analyzed data from federally funded community health centers and found increased levels of coverage and better care quality for those in Medicaid expansion states.

President-elect Donald J. Trump held a news conference in New York Wednesday on a wide range of topics, but a recurring theme was the future of healthcare. Here are 5 things we learned about Trump’s plans for healthcare at Wednesday’s conference.

Shortly after Cigna announced it would stop covering the name-brand EpiPen, CVS declared it would begin selling a cheaper generic version of the costly epinephrine injector. Earlier in the week, Heather Bresch, CEO of EpiPen manufacturer Mylan, had reflected on the controversy surrounding the device’s price.

President-elect Donald J. Trump's transition team declined to confirm that vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would head a vaccine safety commission in the new administration, but the move would be consistent with Trump's prior positions on vaccination and autism.

A recent study in Health Affairs indicated that insurers with greater market shares are better able to negotiate lower prices, particularly from larger provider groups. The findings could have far-reaching implications as insurers continue to merge and smaller provider groups face lower payments.

The impending repeal of Obamacare has sparked concerns that vulnerable groups will lose insurance coverage and access to treatment, including HIV/AIDS patients.

These guidelines provide an overview of the current recommendations surrounding HIV/AIDS diagnosis, treatment, and complications.

Payments for catastrophic coverage under Medicare Part D have more than tripled since 2010, rising past $33 billion in 2015, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report identified high-priced specialty drugs as a major driver of the increase in spending.

In a letter to CMS, the National Association of Medicaid Directors contended that a 15-day limit on inpatient psychiatric treatment reimbursement is too short for effective treatment of some patients diagnosed with severe mental illness or substance use disorder.

More hospitals are switching to employment-based affiliations with physicians, but a recent analysis found no association between conversion to an employment model and changes in mortality, readmissions, length of stay, or patient satisfaction rates.

A survey of young adults revealed that those with arthritis reported significantly higher rates of employment and lower rates of education participation than their peers without arthritis.

Research on the role of community health workers shows that they can help patients manage their hypertension, in part by addressing barriers to medication adherence.

As 2016 drew to a close, The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC)® polled readers on what was, in their opinion, the biggest healthcare story of the year. Runners-up included drug pricing drama, Medicare policy announcements, and more, but the top answer by far was the news story that sent shockwaves throughout the healthcare industry and around the world.

Contributors to AJMC.com bring fresh insight from their real-world experiences to discuss important subjects in managed care, which this year included topics like accountable care organizations, telehealth, and urgent care prescribing. Here are the 5 most-read articles from our contributors in 2016.