Practice Management News

The rate a patient with advanced cirrhosis walks could be a key factor in determining his or her frailty, according to research published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Liver transplant candidates who sought multiple listing had a higher chance of transplantation outside of UNOS Region 5 — consisting of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah — according to recent findings published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

CMS has released a list of data reporting options for the first year of the Quality Payment Program under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, allowing physicians to test the new initiative by submitting only some information, or submitting information for just part of the calendar year, in lieu of participating fully.

For patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, sarcopenia was associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and significant fibrosis, according to recent findings published in the Journal of Hepatology.

During office hours, physicians spent 27% of their time providing direct clinical face time to patients, according to data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Exalenz Bioscience announced a collaboration with Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. to use the BreathID Methacetin Breath Test to monitor patients in a phase2b trial evaluating emricasan, according to a press release.

Through a collaborative effort with Johns Hopkins University and Florida State University, researchers at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the NIH, identified two classes of compounds — emricasan and Niclocide — that may be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce its ability to kill brain cells, according to a press release.

Findings published in Liver Transplantation suggest the number of patients who switched from private insurance to Medicaid post-liver transplant was greater in Medicaid expansion states than non-expansion ones.

Physicians will be able to use a web-based tool to search for continuing medical education opportunities, according to a press release issued by the American Board of Internal Medicine and Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

The FDA has issued a warning regarding the combined use of opioids and benzodiazepines, which may result in serious adverse effects such as difficult or slowed breathing and death, according to a press release from the agency.