Since 2007, the number of licensed nurse practitioners (NPs) in the U.S. has grown from 120,000 to 248,000, with most NPs working full-time and in primary care settings, according to data released by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).

The proposed $67 billion acquisition of pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) Express Scripts by insurer Cigna isn’t just about acquiring a PBM, according to Cigna CEO David Cordiani, as he defended the deal from the lukewarm response from Wall Street on CNBC’s “Mad Money.”

The broader goals of the MyHealthEData initiative announced by CMS at HIMSS18 have the support of Vice President Joe Biden, but he also criticized the Trump administration for a lack of specifics on the proposal and put blame for the lack of interoperability squarely on the healthcare industry.

In a March 7 session presented at HIMSS18 in Orlando, Shari Erickson, MPH, vice president of government affairs and medical practice at the American College of Physicians (ACP), discussed how healthcare organizations can reduce administrative tasks to reduce physician burnout.

A wearable medical patch used to measure variations in heart rate could be used to detect low blood sugar in type 1 diabetes patients, according to preliminary results presented at ENDO 2018 in Chicago.

A survey of physicians conducted by the American Medical Association found a slew of complaints about the prior authorization (PA) process, with doctors saying it’s a burden on their practices, delays care for patients, worsens outcomes and even leads to patients abandoning their recommended course of treatment.

A study from the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner said the state’s residents would see increases in insurance premiums if Boston-based Partners Healthcare acquires Care New England, thanks to Partners likely using its regional market clout to gain better prices from insurers.

The goal of the opioid epidemic response plan announced by President Donald Trump will be to cut opioid prescriptions by 33 percent within three years, according to POLITICO.

The number of participants in the Next Generation ACO model has shrunk to 51 after seven accountable care organizations (ACOs) announced they’ll drop out of the program in the largest departure of providers since the model was introduced.

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, D-California, recently introduced new legislation dubbed the Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act, which aims to reduce the risk of workplace violence in healthcare facilities utilizing comprehensive employer-mandated workplace violence plans.