• Maryland: Earlier this month, FDA launched the Reducing Readmissions through Device Innovation for the Home (READI-Home) Innovation Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to create medical devices that can support patients at home after a hospital stay to reduce the risk of readmission. Applications are open between April 7 and Sept. 30. The selection period will take place between Oct. 1 and Dec. 4. FDA will select up to nine winners for the "interaction phase" in December. During this phase, participants can help with device design and testing and will be able to demonstrate their devices at FDA facilities. FDA may also consider these devices for expedited regulatory approval. (Bruce, Becker's Health IT, 4/9; FDA READI-Home Innovation Challenge page, accessed 4/27)
• Pennsylvania/Virginia: ACP recently released new guidelines recommending that patients ages 50 to 74 with an average risk of developing breast cancer should receive a mammogram every other year while patients ages 40 to 49 should discuss the benefits and harms of screening with their physicians. ACP also recommended that patients discuss stopping routine mammography if they're 75 or older, asymptomatic, and have an average risk of breast cancer. In response to the new ACP guidelines, ACR said they would cause continued confusion, "rely on outdated and hyperbolic information," and "may contribute to thousands of additional breast cancer deaths each year." The ACR, the U.S. Preventive Serves Task Force, American Cancer Society, the Society of Breast Imaging, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the American Society of Breast Surgeons all recommend patients start getting annual breast cancer screenings at age 40. "When we change that age to 50, that number of women who are going to be protected from breast cancer decreases by almost half," said Georgia Spear, MD, chief of breast imaging at Northwestern Medicine. "We want to make sure that the public recognizes that the screening mammogram is the gold standard for early breast cancer screening." For its part, ACP said it changed its guidelines due to the risk of false positive results, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and additional testing and radiation exposure that could outweigh the uncertain benefits of screenings for patients under the age of 50. (Gregerson, Becker's Hospital Review, 4/20)
• Washington: Amazon has launched a new weight management program through Amazon One Medical. The new program will integrate primary care, pharmacy services, and virtual care to help support patients using GLP-1 medications. Clinicians will be able to monitor patients for related conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes while they are on the medications and provide any necessary follow-ups and adjustments to treatment. Amazon is also expanding access to GLP-1s through Amazon Pharmacy. Amazon will offer both oral and injectable GLP-1s, with costs starting as low as $25 per month with insurance or $149 per month for oral medications and $299 per month for injectable medications for cash-paying patients. "Providing customers with fast, convenient medication access and clear, transparent pricing is integral to how Amazon Pharmacy is transforming the pharmacy experience," said Tanvi Patel, VP and general manager of Amazon Pharmacy. "By expanding access to the latest GLP-1 medications with upfront, clear pricing, we're making it easier for customers to get the treatments their health care providers prescribe and to stay on those medications because they are delivered reliably directly to patients." (Diaz, Becker's Health IT, 4/21; Patel, Amazon News, 4/21)

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