Eight initiatives the FDA presented for public comment last October as part of its program to increase transparency have been finalized and adopted.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) provides better overall survival rates than surgery for lung cancer patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease commonly associated with lung cancer, according to a study in the upcoming March issue of the International Journal of Radiation OncologyBiologyPhysics.

Should the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revise its new directive on the preventive maintenance (PM) of medical devices? Presenters at ECRI Institutes Feb. 15 webinar addressing the matter answered that question with a resounding "Yes"and 221 members of the audience who voted in a flash poll during the event expressed a majority agreement.

A tentative deal is in place that will continue to hold off the 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician payment rates, though it will be paid for with cuts to other federal healthcare funding.

Disagreement over management of four high-risk breast lesionslobular neoplasia, benign papilloma, radial scar and flat epithelial atypiademonstrate the need for a prospective trial as current recommendations are not well substantiated, according to an article published in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Three senators have called on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to either release its stalled rule on the unique device identification (UDI) system for medical devices or provide a status report, and quickly.

Elderly lung cancer patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) after surgical resection may not have improved survival from the treatment, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in Cancer. The findings suggest that physicians should not routinely use radiation after surgery to treat lung cancer that is advanced but has not widely spread, at least in older patients.

Much variation exists in Medicare Part D drug spending, according to an article published Feb. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that modifying the management and utilization of Part D plans in high-cost regions could have saved nearly $4.5 billion and prescribing generic drugs rather than brand name drugs also could help knock down these high expenditures.