Aetna has partnered with Rush Health to establish Aetna Whole Health Chicago, a commercial health care product in Illinois, to provide its members with comprehensive care that will not only track outcomes, but also provide for the sharing of data and measurement of clinical standards, the companies said this week.

CVS/pharmacy has unveiled a new website with health insurance tools, resources and information aimed at assisting consumers as they learn about options for health care coverage and choose which Medicare Part D, Health Insurance Marketplace or Medicaid plans are best for them.

A study underway by a team from the Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network (PCN) in Edmonton, Canada, is utilizing new technology that could help parents keep better track of their children's diet and physical activity habits, thus decreasing the risks of childhood obesity.

A recent University of Virginia School of Medicine study found that low-income Virginians enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care plans were more likely to have better outcomes than those enrolled in the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with   other Democratic senators, unveiled legislation recently to protect Medicare beneficiaries and states from a spike in Part B premiums and deductibles in 2016.

CVS subsidiary SilverScript Insurance Co. recently announced its new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) options for 2016. Beneficiaries have the choice of two SilverScript plans - SilverScript Choice and SilverScript Plus, both of which offer $0 deductibles and lower premiums than the 2015 SilverScript plans in many states, as well as low co-pays on a variety of commonly prescribed medications.

Pfizer and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, announced grant recipients this week under the Seeding Progress and Resources for the Cancer Community: Metastatic Breast Cancer (SPARC MBC) Challenge, an initiative that aims to address challenges facing women with metastatic breast cancer.

Plant scientists from ETH Zurich and the University of Geneva have engineered a cassava plant that produces extra vitamin B6 in its roots and leaves, which could help alleviate deficiencies of the vitamin in African populations.

Pharmaceutical companies Amgen and Allergan recently launched a Phase 3 study of biosimilar candidate ABP 215, which met its primary and secondary endpoints. The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of ABP 215 compared with Avastin (bevacizumab) in adult patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A recent multi-medical-center study of young patients living with bipolar disorder indicates that lithium can be safely and effectively used to treat children with the condition. The study was led by a researcher at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The results were published this week in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers said physicians can, with confidence, add lithium to the treatment regimens of pediatric bipolar sufferers, at least on a short-term basis.

A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that clomiphene therapy led to more live births than letrozole for couples experiencing unexplained infertility. The study involved 900 couples, and the results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

New analysis allows healthcare providers to more accurately prescribe medications.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its final recommendation statement on screening for hypertension in adults on Oct. 13. As the age of the U.S. population has risen, so has the prevalence of high blood pressure. Researchers from USPSTF found that screening patients over the age of 18 for hypertension can have a significant and positive effect on health outcomes.

A recent study funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) showed that treating low blood glucose - more commonly known as hypoglycemia - in newborns according to the recommendations already in place has proven to be safe and to apparently prevent brain damage. The study's findings were published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Government price controls on pharmaceuticals won't solve current issues facing industry.

Issues are related to identity proofing documentation and verification of eligibility.

Officials of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) announced the top five proposals they selected from submissions to their joint Practice Innovation Challenge on Oct. 12. "This partnership with AMA highlights the capabilities of MGMA's most innovative members," MGMA President and CEO Halee Fischer-Wright said.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said Thursday their goal is to sign up at least 1 of every 4 uninsured consumers who are eligible for health care coverage.HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said by the end of 2016, she expects 10 million American's to be enrolled - and paying their premiums - in coverage through a Health Insurance Marketplace.

The wave of nonprofit health insurance exchanges, or co-ops, created under the Affordable Care Act to foster competition appears to be lessening to a ripple. One academic said she understands why these state co-ops are struggling. “It is difficult to achieve the scale needed to effectively negotiate with providers,” Wharton School Assistant Professor Amanda Starc told Patient Daily.

Robert Nelsen: Price controls will reduce innovation and increase costs over the long-run.