Should Hospitals Get Paid More Than Physician Practices for the Same Service?
WASHINGTON — Should hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) get paid more by Medicare than independent physician practices for providing the same care? Yes, they absolutely should, panelists said at a briefing here Monday sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Ashley Thompson, senior vice president for public policy analysis and development at the AHA, outlined several […]
Next COVID Vaccine Should Only Target XBB Strains, FDA Staff Says
The next COVID vaccines should exclude the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and exclusively target the Omicron XBB subvariants, according to FDA staff members. They unveiled their recommendation in a briefing document ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), stating that “the totality of available evidence suggests that […]
Should Students Carry Naloxone? AMA Members Debate Policy Stance
Should students be allowed to carry naloxone (Narcan)? Is the height of the border wall a health issue? Can connecting formerly incarcerated persons with healthcare stop the revolving door into prisons and jails? These and other questions were debated at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) annual House of Delegates meeting on Saturday. Final policy decisions […]
AMA Urged to Do More to Safeguard Adolescent Gender-Affirming Care
CHICAGO — How should the American Medical Association (AMA) respond to the rapidly increasing number of state prohibitions on gender-affirming care for adolescents? Delegates considered the topic during committee discussions at the AMA House of Delegates meeting Saturday. The AMA already has a policy in place for gender-affirming care, and a new draft resolution moves […]
FDA Panel Rejects Broad Olaparib Indication in Metastatic CRPC
In a near-unanimous vote on Friday, outside advisors to the FDA recommended a narrow indication should the agency approve olaparib (Lynparza) plus abiraterone (Zytiga) as initial treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In an 11-1 vote (with one abstention), the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that any approval be restricted to patients with […]
Screen All Adults for Hepatitis B, CDC Says
All adults should be tested for a hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection at least once in their lifetime, and a wider range should get periodic retesting, according to new CDC recommendations. The report recommended moving from a risk-based approach to a universal approach in order to increase awareness of infection and reduce chronic disease and […]
Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigellosis on the Rise in the U.S.
Healthcare professionals should be on the lookout for an increase in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella infections (shigellosis) and should report cases to local or state health departments, the CDC said in a health advisory Friday. Given that Shigella bacteria are easily transmissible (through as few as 10-100 organisms) and antimicrobial treatment options are limited, the […]
Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain, Not Full Agonist Opioids, New VA Guidance Says
Buprenorphine, rather than a full agonist opioid, should be used for patients taking daily opioids for chronic pain, given its lower risk for overdose or misuse, new guidelines from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) recommended. But “the guideline development group does not recommend use of opioid analgesics in the […]
Be Alert For Ectopic Pregnancy After Self-Managed Abortion
Clinicians in the emergency department (ED) and primary care settings should be prepared to spot complications of self-managed abortion, according to a case report. A patient who had attempted self-managed abortion presented to the ED with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that went undetected, reported Isabel Beshar, MD, of Stanford University in California, and colleagues. They […]
Worried About Your Medicare Payment Because of the Debt Limit? Don’t Be, Experts Say
WASHINGTON — Clinicians should be “concerned but not panicky” about the potential effects on Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare payments as the federal government approaches a “debt ceiling,” experts say. “The federal government has never defaulted,” said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank here. Healthcare providers “should […]