Daily Medical News

Stigma for drug users with HCV

The CMS says that the need to reduce time spend coding is driving its new proposal to flatten the 2019 payment for E&M visits that are coded levels 2-5. Also today, low disease activity in SLE compares favorably with clinical remission, medical associations want withdrawal of Title X changes, and telomere length is linked to COPD exacerbations and mortality.

The FDA has issued a safety alert warning against long-term use of azithromycin to prevent bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome in patients with blood or lymph node cancers. Also today, four syndromes suggest life-threatening PVL-positive Staphylococcus aureus infection, asthma medication ratio identifies high-risk pediatric patients, and new MS criteria may create more false positi

Weight gain is linked to progression of fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Also today, e-cigarette prices are down while sales are up, HPV positivity is associated with good outcomes for esophageal cancer, and PhRMA leads the way for health-care-sector lobbying.

Over the last decade, opioid use has not significantly declined, despite efforts to educate physicians about the risk of abuse. Also today, the Fitbit Flex is feasible and provides nuanced step-count data in patients with MS, even moderate alcohol use could worsen outcomes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and a new study supports meningococcal B vaccine in children with rare diseases.

Changes to how doctors are paid for drugs that are administered in-office could be on the way depending on the outcomes of two recent regulatory proposals from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Also today, who are high-need, high-cost patients?, RA seroconversion is not associated with sustained drug-free remission, and a new myeloma frailty index based on biological cage.

Finally, New migraine drugs

Valsartan cancer risk is low

Free skin cancer screening highlights need

Antibody cleared amyloid plaques, slowed cognitive decline

Blood pressure meds cut cognitive impairment risk

Is fish oil's heart benefit a fish tale?

Is fibromyalgia one disorder -- or two?

Brain damage, slight benefit seen in epinephrine cardiac arrest

Bundle pay plan didn’t save money