Review: COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes
February 1st 2024This systematic review found COVID-19 disruptions on clinical outcomes in those with diabetes to be more pronounced for females, younger people, and those a part of racial and ethnic minority groups.
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Older Adults in Traditional Medicare Spend Weeks Per Year on Health Care Contact Days
February 1st 2024Days spent obtaining health care outside the home may show access to needed care, but also add up to substantial time, effort, and cost burdens to patients and those who care for them, according to the study authors.
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CMS released the proposed 2025 Advance Notice for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs; there have been 561 deaths related to the use of Philips’ recalled ventilators and machines for treating obstructive sleep apnea since 2021; the FDA warned the public against copycat eye drops due to infection risk.
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40-GEP Test Utilization Can Mitigate Financial Burden of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
February 1st 2024Medicare-eligible patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) could save on health care costs by utilizing the 40-gene expression profile (40-GEP) to guide treatment decisions.
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Translating DMD Clinical Trial Findings to Real-World Application Discouraging
January 31st 2024This analysis compared outcomes among patients who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and commercial insurance or Medicaid, focusing on how these differ between patients in clinical trials and those who receive treatment post approval.
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Drug Prices and OOP Costs Increased Beyond Inflation Rates 2009-2018, But Were Not Related
January 31st 2024Drug prices in the US increased 4.4% annually and median out-of-pocket (OOP) costs increased 9.6% annually from 2009 to 2018, but there was no direct link between these amounts for individual drugs.
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What We’re Reading: Sickle Cell Treatment Access; Patent Thicket Attacks; US Syphilis Cases Rise
January 31st 2024Sickle cell disease (SCD) will be the first focus of the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Access Model; the FTC has challenged the validity of over 100 drug product patents to help increase competition and potentially lower prices; the rate of infectious syphilis cases in the US rose 9% in 2022.
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Familial Hypercholesterolemia May Double Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Moderately Elevated LDL-C
January 31st 2024However, the association between familial hypercholesterolemia variants and coronary heart disease slightly weakened after adjusting for baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and became statistically insignificant after adjusting for cumulative past LDL-C exposure.
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IV Methylprednisolone, Tacrolimus Effective in Prednisone-Resistant Ocular MG
January 31st 2024Researchers have retrospectively analyzed data from nearly 60 patients with ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) not adequately responding to oral prednisone, finding that both intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone and tacrolimus monotherapy helped reduce symptoms.
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Priority Review Granted for Trastuzumab Deruxtecan; Would Be First Tumor-Agnostic ADC
January 30th 2024A tumor-agnostic approval would be a significant development in the advance of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are designed to deliver a potent, cancer-fighting payload into a tumor while sparing nearby tissues.
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Analysis Says Excessive Vitamin B12 Concentration Can Increase Mortality Risk
January 30th 2024Elevated serum vitamin B12 concentration was positively associated with all-cause mortality risk, particularly among older adults, with concentrations exceeding 400 pmol/L showing significantly higher mortality rates.
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What We’re Reading: ADHD Medication Mix-Up; Surge in ACOs; Mifepristone Restrictions
January 30th 2024Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication packets are found with incorrect pills; CMS data reveal record numbers of providers and beneficiaries participating in accountable care organizations (ACOs); Supreme Court will hear arguments over FDA regulations on abortion medication in March.
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Retrospective Analysis Suggests Allo-HSCT Feasible for R/R DLBCL After CAR T Failure
January 30th 2024Among the 10 patients in the retrospective analysis, the median overall survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) was 21 months.
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ELN Risk Category, MRD Status Predictive of Relapse in Patients With AML
January 29th 2024The study may help explain why some patients are more prone to relapse following a complete response to induction therapy, as indicated by measurable residual disease (MRD) status and 2017 European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria.
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Bevey Miner Talks Interoperability in Digital Health Policy
January 29th 2024Bevey Miner, executive vice president of health care strategy and policy, Consensus Cloud Solutions, discusses the historic progression of health information technology and the role interoperability plays in secure exchanging of patient data.
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Meta-Analysis Investigates Individual Components of CBT for Insomnia
January 29th 2024A meta-analysis explored the individual components of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and suggested that cognitive restructuring, stimulus control and sleep restrictions provide the more benefits to patients.
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Myeloid Panel Analysis Imperative for Risk Assessment in Patients With CCUS
January 29th 2024A myeloid panel mutation analysis should be prioritized for patients with clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) as it can better assess patient risks for progression to a myeloid malignancy, a recent study argues.
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Low Muscle Mass, Hypoalbuminemia Increase Mortality Risk in ADHF
January 28th 2024Patients admitted to the hospital with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who also had low muscle mass and hypoalbuminemia experienced a heightened mortality risk, suggesting skeletal muscle mass and serum albumin are important prognostic factors.
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