Practice Management News

The Department of Health and Human Services reported that $12 billion in health care costs were saved as a result of a reduction in deaths from hospital-acquired conditions by about 50,000 patients from 2010 to 2013.

CMS released a proposal designed to strengthen the shared savings program for accountable care organizations by placing greater emphasis on primary care services and “promoting transitions to performance-based risk arrangements,” according to a press release.

When vaccinated against hepatitis B virus as adults, health care workers appeared to receive robust and long-lasting vaccine protection, according to researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

BOSTON — Sustained virologic response rates after treatment with an all-oral regimen of coformulated ABT-450 boosted with ritonavir, ombitasvir and dasabuvir plus ribavirin were high in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection and cirrhosis across a broad range of subgroups and regardless of baseline characteristics.

The European Commission granted marketing authorization to Gilead Sciences for its once-daily single tablet regimen of Harvoni for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection and those with genotype 4 infection, according to a company news release.

BOSTON — The Check Hep C program, a community-based initiative in New York that focuses on finding and testing individuals with hepatitis C virus infection in high-risk populations, was effective in increasing diagnostic testing and screening of individuals and connecting them with proper services, according to data presented at The Liver Meeting.

The NIH has announced renewed funding of $23.4 million for 11 Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology and the designation of two additional sites.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health are releasing two proposals for public comment designed to increase the transparency of clinical trials through the submission of data to ClinicalTrials.gov and increase access to clinical trial data.

BOSTON — Combination therapy with daclatasvir and sofosbuvir was associated with an 12-week sustained virologic response rate of 90% in previously untreated patients, according to findings presented at the late-breakers session here.

Beginning Saturday, consumers may shop through the health insurance marketplace at www.healthcare.gov for the 2015 coverage period.