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What We're Reading: CDC Pick Expected; Drug Price Gouging Lawsuit; Opioid Prescription Trends
Dr Brenda Fitzgerald Expected to Be Appointed CDC Director
President Donald Trump is preparing to appoint Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, to serve as director of the CDC, STAT reports. Currently serving as Georgia’s public health commissioner, Fitzgerald is also a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and a strong supporter of vaccination. According to reports, the announcement could come as early as Friday. She would replace Tom Frieden, MD, who led the CDC during the Obama administration.
Generic Drug Trade Group Sues Maryland Over Price Gouging Law
Maryland became the first state to pass a law targeting drug price gouging this May, but the legislation is now under attack as a generic drug trade group is suing the state, according to the Washington Post. The Association for Accessible Medicines claims the law is unconstitutional and reduce patient choice and access. On the other hand, supporters are confident that the law, which allows the state attorney general to take legal action against companies hiking generic drug prices, will withstand the lawsuit.
Opioid Prescriptions Decreasing, But Further Progress is Needed
A Vital Signs report in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report demonstrates that efforts to curb opioid prescribing amidst a prescription painkiller epidemic are showing some positive results, as the annual prescribing rate decreased by 13% from 2010 to 2015. However, experts say the prescribing rates are still far too high, as the average opioid prescription length has increased by 5 days since 2006. Furthermore, the rates of physician prescribing vary widely nationwide.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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