Finally, we are getting a little common sense discussion about the role of PSA screening. Not to beat a dead horse, but as we all know the United Sates Preventive Task Force (USPTF) changed their rating of the PSA test from a D to a F. The result of this change is that many doctors, [...]
All of us in the prostate cancer world know that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF) has announced its recommendation against routine PSA screening for men. There remains much debate and unhappiness in both the medical community (urologists and oncologists) as well as in the prostate cancer community itself. There remains a lot of [...]
At a recent meeting that I attended it was reported by a nurse that one of her patients with advanced prostate cancer with only a PSA recurrence and lymph node involvement on a scan was rejected by their insurance company for reimbursement for Provenge. The insurance company indicated that to pay for the treatment they [...]
Not in the normal realm of advanced prostate cancer, but important for the prostate cancer world is the news that the FDA has approved a new screening test for prostate cancer. The currently used screening tool, the PSA has only a 55% accuracy rate and as recently run into serious trouble with The U.S. Preventive [...]
According to an article written by Reuters some doctors have raised doubts about the efficacy of Provenge, known scientifically as sipuleucel-T. Prostate cancer vaccine Provenge has long incited passions unlike any other cancer therapy and the story seems to continue even to today. The current issue has been raised by Marie Huber, a trained scientist [...]
Will the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) be able to optimize patient care with regard to both on-label and off-label drugs? CMS', at this time, has not shown itself to be either in favor or against new technology or the introduction of new uses for drugs. They still seem interested in promoting access [...]
Historically, I have been critical of the FDA, especially around the delay of the approval of Provenge. Now, it is time to take a look at the FDA and what I believe the future will be for this agency. I do first need to make it clear that I do believe that the FDA plays [...]
The good news is here, the House voted 296-121 Friday to pass a $915-billion spending package to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, likely staving off a threatened midnight government shutdown. Now we have to hear from the Senate to be sure that the Prostate Cancer Research Program in the [...]
I woke up this morning to some potentially good news. Last night the congressional committee finalized their reconciliation report and filed the final FY12 Omnibus Report. I am over joyed to report that the Report included the Peer Reviewed Compressional Directed Medical Research Programs that had become the target of budget cutters. Many of us [...]
We have just reached a red letter moment in the area of medical insurance. The provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires medical insurers to spend 80% of the consumers’ premium dollars they collect—85% for large group insurers—on actual medical care rather than overhead, marketing expenses and profit just kicked in to effect. This [...]
