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Commercial health plans vary widely in how they cover specialty drugs, and coverage is not typically based on available evidence-based data, according to a recent study from Tufts Medical Center researchers published online July 9 in Health Affairs.

Physicians employed at small, independent primary care practices (SIPs) in New York City report dramatically lower levels of burnout, according to new research published July 9 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Closed sign

Comprehensive Pain Specialists—a Tennessee-based company with clinics in 12 states—will close many, if not all, its facilities. The unannounced move comes after its CEO, John Davis, was indicted for Medicare fraud in April, accused of receiving $770,000 in bribes from another healthcare executive.

This November, Nebraska voters may decide whether the state will become the 35th to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Insure the Good Life, a campaign to expand Medicaid, recently submitted 135,000 signatures to the secretary of state. If 85,000 are validated, the question will be on the ballot.

ACA

On July 7, CMS announced it will stop making risk adjustment payments, which were designed as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help insurers that accept more high-cost patients avoid major losses.

Registered nurses employed at First Hospital in Kingston, Pennsylvania, reached a contract agreement with the hospital’s parent company, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems (CHS), that includes wage increases, health insurance and new protocols for floating nurses between units in the hospital.

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When it came to all-cause mortality and ischemic stroke, however, the two popular DOACs were associated with comparable outcomes.