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What We're Reading: Drug Side Effect Database; West Nile Virus in LA; Illinois Abortion Law
FDA Improves Side Effects Database
The FDA is improving its online database of reported side effects to make it more easily searchable. According to Bloomberg, the changes will make the database searchable by product, patient age, type of side effect, or year it occurred. The hope is that increasing transparency with this database will encourage patients and doctors to submit more detailed reports about adverse events experienced with medications.
LA Battles Growing West Nile Infections
While Los Angeles County is facing a growing hepatitis A outbreak, there is also an increasing number of cases of West Nile virus popping up. Cases of the disease have spiked this fall with 6 deaths reported for the entire year and half of those in just the last week, reported STAT. The county is trying to get a better idea of where the virus is and, so far, one of the best ways to find the infection is through sentinel chickens, which contract the virus, but don’t get sick or spread it.
Illinois Legislation Expands Medicaid Coverage for Abortions
The Republican governor of Illinois has signed a bill into law that would allow state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions. The measure was approved by the Democrat-run legislature. Democrats argue all women should have access to abortion services, while Republicans oppose the idea of having taxpayers fund the procedure, which they find morally objectionable, explained The New York Times. The state estimates that providing abortions under the new law, which takes effect immediately, will cost taxpayers $1.8 million annually. The decision for was difficult for the governor, who is seeking reelection in 2018 and faced criticism from his own party.
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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