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Researchers survey orthopedic providers to understand factors that drive opioid prescribing practices

Orthopedic surgeons are the third-highest physician prescribers of opioids, writing more than 6 million prescriptions a year.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 27 Jun 2019

Senate panel makes surprisingly fast work of ‘surprise medical bills’ package

It may seem as if the Senate, or at least certain key senators, have decided on a way forward to fix the nation's "surprise medical bill" problem. But make no mistake: The door is still open to try another solution.

26 Jun 2019

Unregulated pharmacy benefit manager practices may contribute to escalating expenses

Efforts to control health care costs in the United States often focus on the listed prescription drug prices, but a perspective published by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that unregulated pharmacy benefit manager practices also may contribute to escalating expenses.

24 Jun 2019

Texas is latest state to attack surprise medical bills

Texas is now among more than a dozen states that have cracked down on the practice of surprise medical billing.

18 Jun 2019

Analysis: Why Alexa’s bedside manner is bad for health care

Amazon has opened a new health care frontier: Now Alexa can be used to transmit patient data. Using this new feature — which Amazon labeled as a "skill" — a company named Livongo will allow diabetes patients — which it calls "members" — to use the device to "query their last blood sugar reading, blood sugar measurement trends, and receive insights and Health Nudges that are personalized to them."

4 Jun 2019

Study links heartburn drugs to fatal cases of heart, kidney disease and gastrointestinal cancer

Extended use of popular drugs to treat heartburn, ulcers and acid reflux has been associated with an increased risk of premature death. However, little has been known about the specific causes of death attributed to the drugs.

30 May 2019

Sen. Alexander releases bipartisan plan to lower health costs, end surprise bills

In a year already marked by a wide variety of congressional health care legislation, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the chair and ranking Democrat of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Thursday released the details of a plan they hope can help bring down health costs and eliminate surprise medical bills for patients.

23 May 2019

Why Missouri’s the last holdout on a statewide Rx monitoring program

Missouri retained its lonely title as the only state without a statewide prescription drug monitoring program — for the seventh year in a row — after the legislative session ended Friday.

21 May 2019

New research highlights need to decrease amount of opioid medication available for misuse

As states crack down on doctor and pharmacy "shopping" by people who misuse opioids, a new study reveals how often those individuals may still be able to find opioids to misuse in their family medicine cabinets.

13 May 2019

The money and politics of prescription drugs: What you need to know

If there's one area of health care where Republicans and Democrats might strike a deal, it's prescription drugs.

8 May 2019

Drug industry patents go under Senate Judiciary Committee’s microscope

Congress isn't making much headway in finding a solution to the problem of soaring prescription drug prices, but lawmakers from both parties are tinkering on the edges with legislation that aims to increase competition among drugmakers.

8 May 2019

Researchers develop smart pill bottle to keep drugs safe

Low-cost, stretchy sensors can be assembled inside the lid of a drug container to help monitor patient safety.

6 May 2019

UH College of Pharmacy PREMIER Center aims to tackle prescription drug misuse

For the first time in American history, a person is more likely to die from an accidental opioid overdose than from a car accident.

1 May 2019

Is insulin’s high cost keeping diabetes patients from taking their medicine?

High prescription drug prices are fast becoming a leading political topic, with medications like insulin emerging as a poster child for the issue.

29 Apr 2019

Impact of prescription drug monitoring programs on opioid exposures in children

A new study measures the impact state-run, prescription drug monitoring programs, pain clinic legislation and opioid prescribing guidelines have on opioid exposures among children.

27 Apr 2019

Newsom: California leads on prescription drugs

California regularly portrays itself as a national trendsetter on political issues, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is claiming that title on prescription drugs.

27 Apr 2019

Association insurance pushes on despite court ruling

When the Trump administration in June issued rules making it easier for small employers to band together to buy health insurance, "we started looking immediately," recalled Scott Lyon, a top executive at the Small Business Association of Michigan.

25 Apr 2019

Drug overdoses among adolescents and young adults on the rise

In American adolescents and young adults, death rates from drug poisoning, particularly from opioids, have sharply increased over the last 10 years, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

25 Apr 2019

Americans overwhelmingly want federal protections against surprise medical bills

Three-quarters of the public — including a majority of Republicans — want the federal government to protect patients from being stuck with surprise medical invoices after they are unwittingly treated by doctors or medical facilities that are out of their insurance network, a poll released Wednesday found.

24 Apr 2019

Universities join hands to confront opioid problem in the central Appalachian region

Go to Google and type: "leading cause of accidental death in ..." Then type in a state -- any state in central Appalachia -- and hit search. The answer is the same: opioid overdoses and drug poisoning lead the way in fatalities in these states, far above former front-runners, such as car accidents and gun violence.

17 Apr 2019