Christina is the associate editorial director of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and The American Journal of Accountable Care® (AJAC), and joined AJMC in 2016. She oversees the publication of the print journals, from manuscript submission to publication, and works with the editors in chief and editorial boards to promote the journals.
She has a BS in public health from Rutgers University. You can connect with Christina on LinkedIn.
More Patients Willing to Switch to Telehealth Providers
A recent survey of consumers found that 1 in 5 were willing to switch from their current primary care physician to one that offered telehealth visits. Researchers noted a particular interest among the survey respondents in using telehealth to manage a chronic illness or get a prescription refilled.
ACA Draws Support From Physicians, but Also Conservative Medicaid Expansion States
A pair of commentaries published in the New England Journal of Medicine explored the popularity of the Affordable Care Act among both US physicians and residents of red states that have expanded Medicaid. Legislators preparing to repeal the law will need to contend with the widespread support for some of its components, even in unexpected regions of the nation.
COPD Undertreatment Actually Led to Fewer Exacerbations, Study Finds
A study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated at a Veterans Administration hospital in New York found an unexpected relationship: the veterans who were undertreated according to treatment guidelines had lower rates of COPD exacerbation events.
FDA Campaign Decreased Teen Smoking Initiation, but E-Cigs Continue to Entice Youth
The FDA’s anti-smoking campaign warning teens about “The Real Cost” of cigarettes was successful at preventing smoking initiation, according to the results of a nationwide survey. However, another study found that levels of e-cigarette use have increased among adolescents unlikely to start smoking cigarettes.
Healthcare Costs and Utilization After First-Line Therapy for Medicare DLBCL Patients
Patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who relapsed following first-line treatment had higher rates of healthcare utilization and greater costs than the patients who had not relapsed.
Lead Author of Hospitalist Study Discusses Success of Unique Staffing Models
A study published last October indicated that hospitalist groups with a higher ratio of physician assistants to physicians achieved the same outcomes at lower cost in a community hospital setting. Lead author Timothy Capstack, MD, explained to The American Journal of Managed Care® how these hospitalist models can benefit patients in a variety of healthcare settings.
For American Indians, Food Insecurity and Chronic Disease May Be Linked
Rates of food insecurity remain high in American Indian communities, and a recent study indicates that inadequate food quality and quantity may put these populations at higher risk of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
Rare Disease Information Websites Vary in Quality, Study Finds
Patients with rare diseases often turn to the Internet for information on their illness, but an analysis of some of these websites found that their content often failed to meet important quality criteria and neglected key information categories.
Ibrutinib Prevents Cytokine-Release Syndrome After CAR T-Cell Therapy for B-Cell Neoplasms
A study in a mouse model found that mice receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T immunotherapy plus ibrutinib demonstrated longer overall survival and reduced cytokine production than the mice not treated with ibrutinib.
CDC Seminar Addresses Challenges of Opioid Abuse in Women
During a Public Health Grand Rounds seminar hosted by the CDC on Tuesday, 3 experts from different vantage points within the healthcare system discussed why opioid use disorder presents unique challenges in women and what can be done to address this crisis.
Medicaid Expansion Associated With Higher-Quality Care in Community Health Centers
After the Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand Medicaid eligibility for low-income residents, 25 states and the District of Columbia chose to do so by 2014. A team of researchers from Brown University analyzed data from federally funded community health centers and found increased levels of coverage and better care quality for those in Medicaid expansion states.
5 Health-Related Takeaways From Trump's Press Conference
President-elect Donald J. Trump held a news conference in New York Wednesday on a wide range of topics, but a recurring theme was the future of healthcare. Here are 5 things we learned about Trump’s plans for healthcare at Wednesday’s conference.
CVS, Cigna Decisions Encourage Use of Cheaper EpiPen Alternatives
Shortly after Cigna announced it would stop covering the name-brand EpiPen, CVS declared it would begin selling a cheaper generic version of the costly epinephrine injector. Earlier in the week, Heather Bresch, CEO of EpiPen manufacturer Mylan, had reflected on the controversy surrounding the device’s price.
Vaccine Skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr May Lead Trump's Vaccination Safety Panel
President-elect Donald J. Trump's transition team declined to confirm that vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would head a vaccine safety commission in the new administration, but the move would be consistent with Trump's prior positions on vaccination and autism.
Larger Insurers, Provider Groups Have More Success Negotiating Prices
A recent study in Health Affairs indicated that insurers with greater market shares are better able to negotiate lower prices, particularly from larger provider groups. The findings could have far-reaching implications as insurers continue to merge and smaller provider groups face lower payments.
Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Spending Tripled Since 2010, OIG Reports
Payments for catastrophic coverage under Medicare Part D have more than tripled since 2010, rising past $33 billion in 2015, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report identified high-priced specialty drugs as a major driver of the increase in spending.
State Medicaid Directors Ask CMS to Consider Longer Coverage of Psychiatric Stays
In a letter to CMS, the National Association of Medicaid Directors contended that a 15-day limit on inpatient psychiatric treatment reimbursement is too short for effective treatment of some patients diagnosed with severe mental illness or substance use disorder.
Quality of Care Not Affected by Hospital Changes in Physician Employment
More hospitals are switching to employment-based affiliations with physicians, but a recent analysis found no association between conversion to an employment model and changes in mortality, readmissions, length of stay, or patient satisfaction rates.
Biggest Healthcare Story of 2016: Readers Weigh In
As 2016 drew to a close, The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC)® polled readers on what was, in their opinion, the biggest healthcare story of the year. Runners-up included drug pricing drama, Medicare policy announcements, and more, but the top answer by far was the news story that sent shockwaves throughout the healthcare industry and around the world.
Insights From Top 5 AJMC.com Contributor Articles of 2016
Contributors to AJMC.com bring fresh insight from their real-world experiences to discuss important subjects in managed care, which this year included topics like accountable care organizations, telehealth, and urgent care prescribing. Here are the 5 most-read articles from our contributors in 2016.
Readmission Rates Declined After HRRP, Especially for Low-Performing Hospitals
After the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, hospital readmission rates decreased nationwide, most dramatically for the lowest-performing hospitals, according to an analysis of readmissions data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.