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What We're Reading: Revisiting Standards of Pain Management
What we're reading, April 18, 2016: medical experts ask the Joint Commission to revisit its standards of pain management; study determines low-cost generics just as effective at treating hepatitis C as brand name drugs; and UnitedHealth also pulling out of Michigan Obamacare exchange.
Nonprofit groups and medical experts have asked the Joint Commission to revisit its standards of pain management. According to AP, these critics of how prescription painkillers are administered in the US want health officials to phase out the current hospital procedures and questionnaires used to manage pain. The letter states that current standards foster “dangerous pain control practices” and inadvertently encourages the overprescribing of addictive drugs that have fueled the epidemic of overdoses in the US.
Last week, UnitedHealth announced that it would pull out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges in Arkansas and Georgia, and now it has added a third state. In 2017, UnitedHealth will no longer offer plans on the ACA exchange in Michigan, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company expects to lose more than $500 million on its exchange business in 2016, and analysts expected UnitedHealth to pull out of most, if not all, of the 34 states in which it offered plans in 2016.
A new study has determined that low-cost generic drugs are just as safe and effective for treating hepatitis C as the expensive brand name versions. The brand name drugs cost as much as $94,000 a patient, while the generic versions cost less than 1% of that, reported HealthDay. The researchers added that a full course could cost as little as $200 in the coming years.
FDA Approves Expanded Indication of Eculizumab for Pediatric Generalized Myasthenia Gravis
March 15th 2025The FDA first approved eculizumab for use in adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis in 2017, before expanding the indication to include pediatric patients who are 6 years or older and positive for antiacetylcholine receptor antibodies.
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Oz Confirmation Hearing Probes Vision for Medicaid but Coalesces Around Well-Being
March 14th 2025Mehmet Oz, MD, the nominee to lead CMS under the Trump administration, testified in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, where he found common ground on improving outcomes through healthier lifestyle choices but encountered repeated questions on potential Medicaid cuts.
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Technology Takes Center Stage at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting
March 14th 2025The role of artificial intelligence, DataDerm, and telehealth in advancing dermatology care was discussed throughout the meeting, with experts highlighting their potential regarding patient access and health equity.
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PAH Treatment Benefits Extend to Patients With Repaired Congenital Heart Disease
March 14th 2025Historical data show the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adult patients with congenital heart disease ranges from 4% to 28%, according to studies from the US and Europe—and that the prevalence of these comorbid condition is on the rise.
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