Practice Management News

President Donald J. Trump met today with executives from the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies to discuss strategies to increase U.S. production while reforming regulations that contribute to higher costs.

Amid criticism that the approval process for certain treatments is sluggish, the FDA recently detailed nearly two dozen cases where products with promising phase 2 trials failed in phase 3 development.

The AMA, along with 16 other health care organizations, recently called for the reform of insurer pre-approval requirements for medical tests, procedures, devices and drugs because such prior authorization can delay or interrupt medical services, jeopardize patient-centered care and complicate medical decisions, according to a recent news release.

The WHO Executive Board narrowed a list of nominees to be its next director-general to three candidates.

Premature death rates in the United States differ by race and ethnicity, showing a decline among Hispanics, blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders and an increase among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives between 1999 to 2014, according to a news release issued by the NIH.

The AMA recently published an updated edition of the Code of Medical Ethics after an 8-year modernization project.

The Senate Finance Committee held the second hearing on the nomination of  Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.) for secretary of HHS.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing today on the nomination of Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.) as secretary of HHS that focused on his health care policies, as well as allegations about potential conflicts of interest.

While several medical organizations, including the AMA, support the nomination of Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.) as secretary of HHS, the National Physicians Alliance released a statement that highlighted its concerns about the nomination of Price and how his policies “would significantly jeopardize coverage for millions of patients.”

The guidelines for cholesterol and hepatitis C virus treatment did not fully meet the Institute of Medicine standards for commercial conflict of interest management; in addition, many patient advocacy organizations receive modest or substantial industry support, according to studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine.