Senate approves stricter PBM regulations
Senators approved a plan Thursday night that would reform how pharmacy benefit managers operate in Illinois.
Liquid Biopsy for CRC Screening May Not Be Ready for Prime Time
While screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) with a blood-based test would result in better outcomes than no screening at all, it would likely result in worse outcomes than currently available tests — while increasing costs — according to two modeling studies published in Gastroenterology. In the first, models suggested that compared with no screening at […]
King Charles’ Cancer Diagnosis Highlights Long Wait Times Across the Pond
For Anna Gittins, 3 months would have spelled the difference between life and death. The elementary school principal from Hereford in western England was shocked when she found out she had advanced colorectal cancer in 2022. But when she contacted her local hospital, she was told no one would be able to see her for […]
FDA Panel Mulls Which Devices Are Critical in a Public Health Emergency
What bare minimum equipment would you need to practice your specialty during a public health emergency? It depends on what the emergency is, members of an FDA advisory panel said Tuesday. “If we have a thermonuclear war, all I need is a scalpel,” said Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, MD, a professor of neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University […]
MedPAC Draft Recommendation Calls for 1.3% Pay Bump for Medicare Clinicians
Physicians who treat Medicare patients would get about a 1.3% pay increase in 2025 under a draft chairman’s recommendation released Thursday by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). That figure represents half of the projected 2.6% increase in the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), a measure of the costs of running a medical practice, Brian O’Donnell, […]
Medicare Finalizes 3.4% Payment Cut for Physician Fees in 2024
Physicians would receive a 3.4% cut in their Medicare reimbursement under a final rule released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Overall, the finalized calendar year 2024 physician fee schedule conversion factor is $32.74, a decrease of $1.15, or 3.4%, from 2023, CMS said in a press release. CMS’s Positive Spin […]
Here’s Exactly When You Should Get Your COVID, Flu And RSV Shots
Jasmin Merdan via Getty Images “The most important thing right now, I would say is to make a plan. We know that people who have a plan to get there [and] get a vaccination are much more likely to get it than people who intend to get it but don’t make a plan,” said Dr. […]
More Transparency Needed in Healthcare, House Members Told
The U.S. healthcare system would be greatly improved by more transparency from all players, including hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and insurers, members of Congress and witnesses agreed Wednesday at a House hearing. “For too long medical prices have been shrouded in mystery and patients have lived in fear of how much their medical bills […]
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 […]
Warning labels on restaurant menus reduced likelihood consumers would order high-sugar foods: But labels should be designed for higher visibility, researchers suggest
Added-sugar warning labels reduced the likelihood that consumers would order items containing high amounts of added sugar in an online experiment led by University of California, Davis, researchers. Menu labels can help inform consumers about the surprisingly high amount of added sugar in even the smallest sizes of soda or in unexpected items like salad […]