Effective for dates of service on and after July 1, 2017, the National Government Services (NGS), the Medicare administrative contractor for Jurisdictions 6 and K, will require providers in their region to adhere to new evaluation and management (E/M) services expectations for the expanded problem-focused and detailed CPT examination components. The new requirement adds specificity…
NSAIDs Increase MI Risk; Plus New Label Warnings for Canagliflozin
NSAIDs Increase Myocardial Infarction Risk According a recent meta-analysis of real-world non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, NSAIDs may increase the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The analysis used individual patient data meta-analysis of studies from healthcare databases in Canada, Finland and the U.K. to determine the time course for risk of AMI, as well…
In-Office Pharmacist Improves Patient Care
Would your patients and practice benefit from an on-site pharmacist? Jessica Farrell, PharmD, says a pharmacist enhances patient education and frees up a rheumatologist’s time, enabling them to see more patients and provide better all-around care…
Anthem Still Weighing 2018 Obamacare Individual Participation
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Anthem Inc on Wednesday said its plans for selling 2018 Obamacare individual plans are still up in the air because of political and regulatory uncertainty, making it the latest health insurer to say questions about continued funding of government subsidies will affect consumers next year. Anthem, the biggest provider of individual health plans,…
Adding Prednisone to Methotrexate May Be Helpful in Early RA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adding prednisone to methotrexate for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) results in a lower initiation rate of a biologic, better radiographic outcomes and no steroid-related side effects, researchers in the Netherlands say. Although biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) have led to better control of RA and improved functioning and quality of life, they…
U.K. Competition Watchdog Accuses Merck of Obstructing Biosimilars
LONDON (Reuters)—Britain’s competition watchdog has accused Merck & Co of operating an unfair discount scheme for its medicine Remicade (infliximab) that it said was designed to restrict competition from so-called biosimilar copies. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says it had provisionally found the U.S. company’s European unit, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), had abused…
Heart Safety Clouds Hopes for Amgen, UCB Bone Drug Approval
(Reuters)—Amgen Inc. and UCB SA no longer expect their experimental osteoporosis drug to win U.S. approval this year after a higher rate of serious heart-related side effects were observed in a late-stage clinical trial. The drug, romosozumab, which would be sold under the brand name Evenity if approved, is awaiting an approval decision by the…
U.S. Teaching Hospitals Are Expensive, But Have Lower Death Rates
(Reuters Health)—Academic medical centers, increasingly spurned by insurers for being more expensive than community hospitals, appear to have lower death rates for older adults than other facilities, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers reviewed millions of records for patients aged 65 and older and insured by Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly. They found…
Medicaid Cuts Coming in Trump Budget
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, set to be unveiled on Tuesday, will include cuts to Medicaid and propose changes to other assistance programs for low-income citizens, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Republican healthcare bill that passed the U.S. House…
Trump Administration Asks for Time to Weigh Obamacare Subsidies
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Trump administration and U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Monday asked a federal court for more time to decide how to proceed on the cost-sharing subsidies paid to health insurers that play a vital role in the Obamacare healthcare law. In a joint filing submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
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