January 2012 - FRMC

01/25/2012

Kevin L. Carter

Although noroviruses are a leading cause of epidemic acute gastroenteritis and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis, a reliable vaccine for these types of viruses has not yet been developed, nor has any specific therapy been developed to...

Although noroviruses are a...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Measuring Longitudinal Change of Biomarkers in Cognitive Decline

01/25/2012

Kevin L. Carter

Researchers have known that using biomarkers to facilitate early detection of Alzheimer disease (AD) is crucial for developing potential treatment. Studies have shown that Aβ42 and tau protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),...

Researchers have known that...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Antibacterial Drugs and MRSA in Children

01/25/2012

Kevin L. Carter

Although methicillin resistance is common in Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals, the presence of such resistance in the community is also increasingly reported. It is commonly referred to as community-associated methicillin-resistant...

Although methicillin resistance...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Family History Influences AD Biomarker Abnormalities

01/25/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

A family history (FH) of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is linked to preclinical abnormalities in disease biomarkers, independent of the risk conferred by the apolipoprotein E (APOE) susceptibility gene in cognitively normal middle- to older-aged...

A family history (FH) of...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Costs and Complications Associated with Tubal Ligation

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

Madrid—A database analysis of women <50 years of age who received a tubal ligation and had continuous insurance coverage for 1 year after the procedure found that a substantial number of patients experienced complications, which were...

Madrid—A database analysis of...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

News

First-Year Cost of Administering and Monitoring Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

Madrid—According to an interactive tool developed to estimate the first-year cost of administering and monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies, glatiramer acetate was the cheapest treatment option, followed by interferon beta-1a...

Madrid—According to an...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Conference Insider

Rivaroxaban Reduces Death Rates in ACS Patients

01/25/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

Orlando—The anticlotting drug rivaroxaban added to standard medical treatment lowered the risk of cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, but was associated with an increase...

Orlando—The anticlotting drug...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Free Heart Medications Improve Post-MI Outcomes and Drug Adherence

01/25/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

Orlando—Enhanced prescription coverage improved medication adherence and rates of first major vascular events and decreased patient spending without increasing overall health costs when eliminating medication copays for patients following...

Orlando—Enhanced prescription...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Apixaban Not Superior to Enoxaparin for Clot Prevention in Medically Ill Patients

01/25/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

Orlando—The ADOPT (Apixaban Dosing to Optimize Protection from Thrombosis) trial found that treatment with 30 days of oral apixaban is no more effective than 1 to 2 weeks of injected enoxaparin for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) in...

Orlando—The ADOPT (Apixaban...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

AMR101’s Effect on Lipoprotein Concentration and Size

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

Orlando—A follow-up analysis of a phase 3 trial found that patients with very high triglyceride levels who took 4 g/day of AMR101 had a significant reduction in the lipoprotein concentrations of the large very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL),...

Orlando—A follow-up analysis of...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Pharmacist Intervention with Heart Failure Patients

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

Orlando—Patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction who visited pharmacists did not experience a significant decrease in death or hospital admissions compared with a group that did not have pharmacist intervention, according to a...

Orlando—Patients with left...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Anticlotting Therapies Similarly Effective in Patients Undergoing PCI

01/25/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

Orlando—Two commonly used anticlotting regimens—abciximab with unfractionated heparin and bivalirudin—were similarly effective in preventing death, subsequent myocardial infarction (MI), or need for further revascularization in patients with...

Orlando—Two commonly used...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Two Doses of AMR101 Significantly Reduce Trigylceride Levels

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

Orlando—A phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that patients with high triglyceride levels who took 4 or 2 g/day of AMR101 had a significant reduction in median placebo-adjusted triglyceride levels from baseline...

Orlando—A phase 3, randomized,...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Costs, Utilization Associated with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—A retrospective cohort analysis of medical claims databases found that the costs associated with treating patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were substantial, with the majority of the expenses attributed to...

San Diego—A retrospective cohort...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Ponatinib Is Safe and Effective in Pivotal Phase 2 Trial for Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia-positive chromosome acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL) who are resistant or intolerant to popular tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may soon have another option to...

San Diego—Patients with chronic...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Updated Results of Ruxolitinib Phase 3 Trials Show Significant Overall Survival Advantage

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—An updated analysis of two phase 3 trials found that ruxolitinib had a significant overall survival advantage across a variety of subgroups and that the oral drug was associated with improvement in health-related quality of life and...

San Diego—An updated analysis of...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Quality of Life Care in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—A prospective, longitudinal, observational study found that the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) did not differ based on age. In addition, the most common type of first-line...

San Diego—A prospective,...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Bortezomib and Vorinostat Safe and Effective in Phase 3 Trial

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—Patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who took a combination of bortezomib and vorinostat had a significantly longer progression-free survival and time to progression compared with a group that took bortezomib...

San Diego—Patients with relapsed...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Dosing and Adherence in Patients Taking Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—According to a cross-sectional survey of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the United States and Europe, patients who took nilotinib were significantly more likely to have difficulty adhering to their treatment regimen...

San Diego—According to a...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Chemotherapy Alone Superior to Radiation Therapy in Prolonging Survival in Early-Stage Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

01/25/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—Patients with limited-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma who received a standard chemotherapy regimen alone had longer overall survival compared with a group that received a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatment or radiation...

San Diego—Patients with...

01/25/2012

First Report Managed Care

Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeolma

01/24/2012

Tim Casey

San Diego—A regimen of lenalidomide plus dexamethasone proved safe and effective in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeolma, according to a retrospective analysis of 2 randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trials presented in a...

San Diego—A regimen of...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Readmission Rates following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publicly reports hospital-level, 30-day, risk-standardized readmission rates for patients hospitalized for congestive heart failure (CHF), acute myocardial infarction, and for patients undergoing...

The Centers for Medicare &...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Hip Fracture and Short- and Long-Term Mortality Risk

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

Nearly 300,000 hip fractures occur in the United States each year, causing substantial short- and long-term disability and increased mortality.

Nearly 300,000 hip fractures...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Health Service Use and Expenditures for CSHCN with a Medical Home

01/24/2012

Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos

Healthcare expenditures and resources are greater for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN), but this patient population and their families are often challenged by inferior care coordination, increased financial burden due to medical...

Healthcare expenditures and...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Redistribution Mattresses to Improve Prevention of Pressure Ulcers

01/24/2012

Mary Beth Nierengarten

Results of an analysis of evidence-based strategies show the benefits of using pressure redistribution foam mattresses for all long-term care residents.

Results of an analysis of...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

ADHD Medications and Cardiovascular Events in Adults

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

The use of medications intended for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by adults increased more rapidly than did use of those medications by children between 2001 and 2010. A US Food and Drug Administration...

The use of medications intended...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

ADT and Increased Cardiovascular Mortality

01/24/2012

Mary Mihalovic

Among men with unfavorable-risk, nonmetastatic prostate cancer, the use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was not associated with an increase in cardiovascular mortality as some previous studies had suggested, according to results of a...

Among men with unfavorable-risk,...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Kaiser Brief: How Competitive Are State Insurance Markets?

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

More open and transparent insurance markets is one goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA); by 2014, the act will require private insurers to provide coverage to individuals and small businesses by offering products with...

More open and transparent...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Guideline Concordance Rate and Oncology Surgery in Medicare Beneficiaries

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

Part of quality healthcare involves delivering the right care to the right patient at the right time. According to researchers, the current variation of healthcare quality in the United States may “reflect (1) a lack of knowledge about the...

Part of quality healthcare...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Response to Etanercept in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

01/24/2012

Mary Mihalovic

After 15 months of therapy with etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist, patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who had had low baseline disability scores, prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use, and...

After 15 months of therapy with...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors and Hospital Mortality

01/24/2012

Jill Sederstorm

An observational study of patients who had their first myocardial infarction (MI) found that there was an inverse relationship between the number of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors a patient possessed and in-hospital mortality. The...

An observational study of...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Coronary CT Angiography versus Stress Testing

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

Patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) are increasingly being diagnosed using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). This new technology provides anatomic information that differs from the functional information...

Patients with suspected coronary...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Conference Insider

Evacetrapib in Dyslipidemia Patients

01/24/2012

Jill Sederstorm

Evacetrapib, a cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in patients with dyslipidemia as monotherapy or...

Evacetrapib, a cholesteryl ester...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

News Connection

Mycophenolate Mofetil Superior to Azathioprine for Lupus Nephritis

01/24/2012

Mary Beth Nierengarten

Results of a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, phase 3 study [N Engl J Med. 2011;365(20):1886-1895] found that patients with active lupus who underwent 36 months of maintenance therapy with mycophenolate mofetil after successful...

Results of a randomized,...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Adding Niacin to Statin Therapy for Patients with Low HDL-C Levels

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

Citing statistics that >18 million North Americans have coronary heart disease, researchers note that despite advances in pharmacologic as well as diet and lifestyle interventions, morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease remain...

Citing statistics that >18...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

LDL-C Goals Using Team-Based Care

01/24/2012

Tori Socha

The American Academy of Family Physicians, along with 6 other medical associations, has endorsed the framework of practice design known as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of...

The American Academy of Family...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

State Spending on Medicaid Increases

01/24/2012

Tim Casey

Already faced with budget deficits, declining tax revenues, and struggling economic conditions, states now have another challenge: increasing Medicaid costs. In fiscal years 2009 and 2010, state spending on Medicaid decreased thanks to...

Already faced with budget...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

DHHS Bulletin on Essential Health Benefits

01/24/2012

Tim Casey

In an unexpected announcement, the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued a bulletin on December 16, 2011, allowing states to choose the items and benefits that health plans must offer as part of regulations included in the...

In an unexpected announcement,...

01/24/2012

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

The Senate’s $3 Trillion Deal. Tax Relief Now, Medicaid Coverage Loss Later?

07/02/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

The Senate has done it. After weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling and last-minute amendments, lawmakers have passed a sprawling tax-and-spending megabill that makes good on a long-standing Republican goal: making the 2017 Trump tax cuts...

The Senate has done it. After...

07/02/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

When a Cap Isn’t Just a Cap: How a Provider Tax Proposal Could Reshape Medicaid Financing

06/25/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

In Washington, the most consequential policies are often buried in the fine print. One such detail in the Senate Finance Committee’s latest tax and spending proposal would gradually cap provider taxes—a core funding tool states use to pull in...

In Washington, the most...

06/25/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

Rewriting the Safety Net? Inside the Senate’s Changes to Medicaid and the ACA

06/18/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been following the progress of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which started in the House with sweeping tax reforms and some eye-catching health care proposals. Now, the Senate has released its (highly...

Over the past few weeks, I’ve...

06/18/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

How States Might Respond to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

06/11/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) still in the hands of the Senate, much of the national conversation has centered on what this legislation would do to federal coverage programs. But regardless of how the federal process unfolds,...

With the One Big Beautiful Bill...

06/11/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

Is the Affordable Care Act on the Chopping Block? What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Tells Us.

06/04/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

It’s been weeks of headline-grabbing debate over Medicaid work requirements, and the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” remains in the Senate as they deliberate over several health care provisions. While the Medicaid provisions sparked most of the...

It’s been weeks of...

06/04/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

From House to Senate: The Journey of Cutting Medicaid

05/28/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

Last week, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR 1, 119th Congress) by a single vote, sending the sweeping tax and spending reconciliation package, backed by President Trump, to the Senate. With its...

Last week, the House of...

05/28/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

Eligibility, Paperwork, and Penalties: The Not-So-Hidden Costs of Medicaid ‘Reform’

05/21/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

It’s been another eventful week in health policy—a phrase that’s quickly becoming routine. This time, House Republicans advanced a sweeping budget reconciliation bill, designed to implement elements of the March budget resolution, with a...

It’s been another eventful week...

05/21/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

A Busy Week in Drug Pricing Policy: Aligning US Drug Prices With Global Standards?

05/14/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

It’s been a busy few days for drug pricing policy. While I’d love to dig into the details of both President Trump’s latest executive order and the newest Republican bill that would cut Medicaid spending, we don’t have the time—and this isn’t...

It’s been a busy few days for...

05/14/2025

First Report Managed Care

BEHIND THE BILL

When Agencies Lose Power: How 3 Seismic Shifts are Transforming Pharmaceutical Regulation

05/07/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

In the span of just 9 months, the landscape of administrative law has undergone a transformation so profound that pharmaceutical executives, health care providers, and patients alike are struggling to navigate the new terrain. The Supreme...

In the span of just 9 months,...

05/07/2025

First Report Managed Care

Behind the Bill

The Medicare Paradox, Part 3: Strategic Trade Doesn’t Have to be a Zero-Sum Game

05/07/2025

Katie Hayes, MJ

Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve examined the growing friction between the Section 232 pharmaceutical tariff investigations and the Medicare drug pricing reforms authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These 2 policy agendas—industrial...

Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve...

05/07/2025

First Report Managed Care

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