SPOTLIGHT -
Acute care hospitals spend billions on quality data reporting: study
Greater use of electronic metrics could help reduce spending on quality measurement
CMS releases list of prescription drugs subject to price reduction program
Patients will benefit by reductions in coinsurance payments
Survey results: Threats, opportunities facing primary care physicians
What’s the state of primary care? Physicians told us in our exclusive survey.
Allopathic, osteopathic physicians provide similar quality and cost of care
Study finds no clinically important differences regardless of condition or severity
More funding needed to address social health determinants: study
Lack of funding, strict eligibility requirements are barriers to enrollment in existing assistance programs
Health care organizations join forces to promote equity
New coalition provides steps members can take to end racial injustice in health care
Many retail pharmacies not stocking buprenorphine: study
Lack of availability may hamper efforts to combat opioid-related deaths
FDA gives nod to Paxlovid for treating COVID-19
Medication is the first in pill form to receive approval
Study highlights challenges of providing diabetes care to rural patients
Patients in urban areas more likely to meet all aspects of key metric of diabetes care
Primary care practices varied in ability to adapt to telemedicine when pandemic began
Study identifies four broad reasons for differences
FTC seeks to strengthen protections for personal health data
Agency wants to expand PHR breach reporting requirements to include entities not covered by HIPAA
Doctors spending less time on EHR documentation following coding requirement changes
But time reduction is “not clinically meaningful,” study finds
Despite COVID pandemic, most patients could still get needed prescription medications
Study credits existing delivery infrastructure for lack of disruption
COVID-19 erased progress in narrowing racial mortality gap, study finds
Following some improvement, excess death rate returned to 1999 levels for Black men and 2005 levels for Black women
Appeals Court temporarily upholds ACA preventive services mandate
Health plans must continue providing free screenings pending court’s further consideration of case
Wide race-based disparities found in use of medications to treat opioid-use disorder
Main drugs used to combat addiction are given less often to patients who are Black than those who are Hispanic or white
Doctors get reprieve for telehealth prescribing of controlled substances
Ability to write prescription without in-person visit extended to November
FDA gives nod to first vaccine for RSV
Approval is for use among adults 60 and older
Is AI better than doctors at answering patients’ questions?
Study finds higher-quality information, more empathy from GPT-4 chatbot responses
ACP unveils program aimed at reducing gun violence
Goal is to encourage doctors to talk with patients about firearms safety and preventing gun-related deaths and injuries
Poverty one of the nation’s leading killers, study finds
A single year in poverty is associated with more deaths than homicide or suicide
FDA simplifies COVID-19 vaccination schedule
Agency authorizes single-shot bivalent vaccinations, ends authorization for monovalent vaccines
Brand-name prescription drugs add little additional therapeutic benefit
Findings could have implications for Medicare’s first-ever negotiations with pharmaceutical companies
Telemedicine is OK, but doctors and patients prefer in-person care
Both groups cite difficulty of virtual physical exams for wanting face-to-face visits
Two years into pandemic, audio-only telehealth visits were still common at California safety net clinics
Researchers say use of virtual visits, particularly in rural areas, reflects ease of access they offer
EHRs can help doctors integrate SDOH into patient care plans
Combining technology with patient conversations could lead to more personalized care
CMS rule cracks down on prior authorization requirements in MA plans
Agency responds to complaints that plans are limiting access to care
Never mind: moderate drinking isn’t good for your health after all
Researchers find results of many previous studies were skewed by internal biases
ACA benchmark premiums up 3.4% in 2023
Increase follows three years of declines, reflects inflation in economy
Naloxone approved for sale without a prescription
FDA decision comes as nation battles rising deaths from opioid addiction