Drug Addiction

We need better tools to control pharma prices

Opinion

We need better tools to control pharma prices

With many drug makers facing no competition, the market isn't working

By , 0 Comments

FROM THE BEGINNING of the Baker-Polito Administration, managing MassHealth has been a top priority.  We are pleased with the progress made to date, including its first major systems overhaul in 20 years, implementing strong internal controls, and reducing the growth rate from double digit numbers. However, it is evident that additional major structural reforms are(...)

Read More »

Spoon Movement comes to Beacon Hill

Spoon Movement comes to Beacon Hill

Heroin sculpture draws attention to pharma 'lies, deception'

By 0 Comments

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE PASSERBY GAWKED as the men pulled a ramp down from the back of a U-Haul truck parked on a Beacon Street curb Friday morning and began to unload a large, strangely shaped object onto the sidewalk. Not until the men wheeled the silver sculpture, bent in some places and stained brown(...)

Read More »

Taming MassHealth drug costs

Opinion

Taming MassHealth drug costs

State should explore 'value-based' purchasing

By 0 Comments

IT’S ELECTION SEASON, and the focus of politicians has again moved to “skyrocketing” drug prices. When officials with the Massachusetts Medicaid program, MassHealth, and other senior state officials recently threatened to limit spending on pharmaceuticals,, reporters breathlessly reported that something must be done about “out of control” drug prices. One might ask, how much did(...)

Read More »

E-scripts for opioids save lives

Opinion

E-scripts for opioids save lives

Technology exists for officials to pass laws to stem the crisis

By , , , 0 Comments

GOV. CHARLIE BAKER recently signed into law a bill to mitigate the state-level effects of the ongoing opioid crisis. Like other such legislative efforts at both the federal and state levels, this important legislation requires healthcare providers and pharmacies to switch to electronic prescribing of controlled substances. This most recent legislative success reflects just how(...)

Read More »

Do your job, lawmakers tell pot agency

Do your job, lawmakers tell pot agency

Rep expresses concern about commission's sense of urgency

By 0 Comments

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION weighs asking legislators to revisit the marijuana law to clarify requirements related to the agreements marijuana businesses are required to enter into with their host municipalities, the two lawmakers who wrote the law say no such fix is necessary. The commission has been wrestling with host(...)

Read More »

Opioids’ path of destruction in construction

Opioids’ path of destruction in construction

Sector accounts for one-quarter of all overdose deaths

By , , 0 Comments

DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH patterns among different population groups is a well-established fact. Indeed, it forms the foundation for an entire field of health research, epidemiology, which has contributed enormously to our understanding of the causes of disease. But a new report from the state Department of Public Health documenting the astonishingly high rate of opioid(...)

Read More »

Feds reject Baker bid to rein in pharmacy costs

Feds reject Baker bid to rein in pharmacy costs

State sought to restrict access to some MassHealth drugs

By , 0 Comments

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT on Wednesday rejected a bid by the Baker administration to rein in pharmacy spending by restricting which drugs would be covered under its MassHealth program. “While it is disappointing that our request to more effectively control rising pharmacy costs was not approved at this time, we remain committed to finding more innovative(...)

Read More »

Middlemen drive up patient drug costs

Opinion

Middlemen drive up patient drug costs

Insurers use pharmacy benefits managers to tilt playing field

By and , , , 0 Comments

AS LEADERS OF organizations dealing with two of the most difficult chronic conditions to treat – hemophilia and HIV/AIDS – we consistently hear stories about how patients living with these diseases are given the run around by insurers to obtain affordable access to the medications they need to manage their diseases. It’s an uphill battle;(...)

Read More »

Drug treatment for drug addiction

Drug treatment for drug addiction

The debate over medication-assisted treatment continues

By , , , 0 Comments

It’s an approach that research evidence and many in recovery say makes sense — but one that some advocates say has it all wrong. One of the most effective ways of treating those suffering from opioid addiction is with drugs. There are two types of drugs used. Methadone and a newer drug, buprenorphine, are opioids(...)

Read More »

Drug treatment for drug addiction

By , , , , 0 Comments

It’s an approach that research evidence and many in recovery say makes sense — but one that some advocates say has it all wrong. One of the most effective ways of treating those suffering from opioid addiction is with drugs. There are two types of drugs used. Methadone and a newer drug, buprenorphine, are opioids(...)

Read More »

1 2 3 4 5 >>|