How Can Primary Care Be Improved in the U.S.?
WASHINGTON — Are you taking Fridays off at your medical practice? If so, you’re not alone, said Ishani Ganguli, MD, a primary care physician at Harvard Medical School in Boston, at a primary care forum here Thursday. “We see this 20% dip [in office visits on Fridays] — specialist visits more than primary care visits,” […]
More Price Transparency Needed in Healthcare, House Members Say
WASHINGTON — How much difference would more price transparency make in healthcare? House members heard — and gave — a variety of opinions on the topic at a Ways & Means Committee hearing Tuesday. “Price transparency works,” said Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). “In the past 20 years, the prices of medical services increased by […]
Multiple Solutions Needed to Fix Drug Supply Chain Problems, Lawmakers Told
WASHINGTON — Drug shortages continue to plague the U.S., and a variety of solutions must be employed to solve the problem, witnesses said here Thursday at a hearing held by the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. “According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, we currently have over 247 active drug […]
‘Ghost’ Provider Networks a Big Problem for Patients, Especially in Mental Health
WASHINGTON — Nine years ago, Keris Jän Myrick had a problem: she got a new job in a new state, and with it, new health insurance, and she needed to change her mental health provider. “Navigating the Blue Cross Blue Shield for federal employees provider directory to find a psychiatrist in the D.C. or Maryland […]
Medicare’s Policy on Alzheimer’s Drugs Comes Under Fire at House Hearing
WASHINGTON — House members on both sides of the aisle were in surprising agreement on a number of healthcare issues Wednesday, most notably the need for Medicare to reconsider its coverage decision on amyloid-inhibiting Alzheimer’s drugs such as aducanumab (Aduhelm) and lecanemab (Leqembi). “There’s been a lot of attention to a decision by CMS [the […]
Texas Mifepristone Case Could Lead to Other Drug Approval Lawsuits, Experts Say
As the nation awaits the final outcome of two federal cases — one in Texas and one in Washington state — involving the abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex), legal observers are raising the possibility that the Texas case could have repercussions beyond that single drug. “As monumental as the effects will be for abortion and miscarriage […]
Medicare Expected to Become Insolvent by 2031, Trustees Say
WASHINGTON — Interest groups here are sounding the alarm about a new report from the Medicare trustees that extended by 3 years the estimate for when the program would become insolvent. “Based on our best estimates, this year’s reports show that the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will be able to pay 100% of total […]
President Biden ‘Remains Fit for Duty,’ His Doctor Says
WASHINGTON — President Biden has a stiffened gait but is otherwise in good health and is fit to continue in office, his personal physician said Thursday. “The president remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations,” wrote Kevin O’Connor, DO, in a memo to White House Press […]
Drug Czar Issues Challenge to Docs: Help Us Devise Better Substance Use Tx Options
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s drug czar has a challenge for America’s doctors, especially members of the American Medical Association (AMA): help figure out the best way to treat substance use disorder (SUD) patients. “While the Biden administration has improved access to care for millions of people with OUD [opioid use disorder], we’ve got a […]
How Will Medicare’s New Drug Rebate Law Work?
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration issued initial guidance yesterday on how it plans to implement the Medicare drug rebate program, which will affect doctors who administer drugs under Medicare Part B. The program, passed in August 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, requires manufacturers who raise their drugs’ prices faster than the rate […]