Maggie is an editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and produces written, video, and podcast content covering several disease states. She joined AJMC® in 2019, and has been with AJMC®’s parent company, MJH Life Sciences®, since 2014, when she started as a copy editor.
She has a BA in English from Penn State University. You can connect with Maggie on LinkedIn.
Comorbid Septic Shock, HFrEF Linked to Lack of Guideline-Recommended Treatment
Patients with heart failure frequently suffer from fluid overload, and for those with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) also suffering from septic shock—a condition often treated with fluids—more data are needed on outcomes following fluid administration.
Nasal Cytology Produces Comparable Results to Surgery in CRSwNP
The investigators of a new study evaluated if nasal cytology was a reliable method to identify type 2 inflammation in patients who have chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), which could then facilitate patient selection for biological drug utilization via endotypization.
Dr Tochi Okwuosa: We Need More Data on Cardio-Toxicity From Radiation
Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, cardiologist and director of cardio-oncology at Rush University Medical Center, delivered several presentations at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions this year. Chief among them were the importance of cardiovascular health in cancer survivors and cardio-toxicity from cancer treatments.
Dr Kausik Ray: ORION-3 Data Show Inclisiran Produces Durable Sustained LDL-C Reduction
Kausik K. Ray, MB ChB, MD, MPhil, is professor of public health and a consultant cardiologist at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. At this year’s American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions, he presented findings from a 4-year open-label extension study of inclisiran, a small interfering RNA that targets proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
Dr Mikhail Kosiborod Discusses the Clinical Importance of the Latest DELIVER Data on Dapagliflozin
The DELIVER trial is the largest trial to date of SGLT2 inhibitor use in heart failure, and these latest data on dapagliflozin in heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction show an extensive benefit on health status, noted Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, cardiologist at St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr Stephen J. Greene: New VICTORIA Trial Data Show Benefit to Vericiguat In-Hospital Initiation
The latest real-world clinical practice data from the VICTORIA trial of vericiguat bolster previous data on the medication’s benefit by showing that 92% of patients hospitalized for a worsening heart failure event would be eligible to start the therapy and that doing so would reduce their risk of heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular death, noted Stephen J. Greene, MD, Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
Dr Michael Portman: Edoxaban Facilitates Easier Treatment, Improved QOL in Pediatric Cardiac Disease
In the ENNOBLE-ATE trial, Michael A. Portman, MD, FAHA, director, Pediatric Cardiovascular Research, Center for Integrative Brain Research, and professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children's, and his team evaluated the safety and efficacy of edoxaban, a direct oral anticoagulant previously only used among adult patients, among pediatric patients with cardiac disease.
Dr Douglas Mann Discusses Novel CRISPR/Cas9 Findings in ATTR Amyloid Cardiomyopathy
Douglas L. Mann, MD, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and editor-in-chief of JACC: Basic to Translational Science discussed the first set of data reported on NTLA-2001, a novel investigative intravenous agent that targets the TTR gene and TTR protein levels, which have been shown to play a role in development of cardiac transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis.
Macitentan Safety, Effectiveness in PAH Confirmed in New Analysis
Two data sets from patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) show the benefits of macitentan (Opsumit) monotherapy despite guidelines calling for combination therapy, even among patients with World Health Organizational functional class I-II disease.
Dr Neil Gross Discusses the Implications of pCR on Additional Treatment in Skin Cancer
Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the results of study he and his team conducted in the setting of resectable stage II to IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Dr Amresh Raina Illuminates Top Concerns in Asymptomatic Heart Failure
Risk factors not properly addressed in patients with asymptomatic heart failure, such as high blood pressure and having diabetes or mild heart valve problems, can lead to structural heart problems or heart failure itself, noted Amresh Raina, MD, of the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Increasing HF-Related Mortality Concerning Among Young Adults, Experts Say
The limited data on heart failure (HF)-related mortality among young adults, those aged 15 to 44 years, prompted this analysis of data from 1999 to 2019 that considered HF as a contributing or underlying cause of death.
Potential Risk Factors Identified for RRT Among Patients With PH
According to the study authors, acute decompensated pulmonary hypertension (PH) is often accompanied by systemic congestion and right ventricular flow output, and because PH can be accompanied by acute kidney injury, renal replacement therapy (RRT) may be necessary.
Black Patients’ Uptake of Advanced HF Treatments Falls Behind That of White Patients
Despite known racial disparities in access to advanced heart failure (HF) treatments, the reasons for this continue to require further exploration. In this new study, investigators searched for associations between ventricular assist device use and heart transplant and race (Black or White).
Dr Neil Gross: QOL Improvement Likely Following Treatment With Cemiplimab for cSCC
Patients may be able to forgo radiation following use of cemiplimab to treat their resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), as it is likely to demonstrate significant improvement in quality of life (QOL) for patients and enable less invasive surgeries, noted Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr Amresh Raina Explains Radiation’s Impact on the Heart
There is potential impact on the heart, coronary arteries, and heart function following radiation to the left side of the body, explained Amresh Raina, MD, director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Allegheny General Hospital and the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Drs David and Scott Penberthy Are Working to Evolve Cancer Care in the 21st Century
On day 1 of this year’s Association of Community Cancer Centers’ (ACCC) National Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® sat down for a conversation with David Penberthy, MD, MBA, ACCC’s president for the 2022-2023 term, and his brother Scott Penberthy, PhD, MS, director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO, at Google.
Allina Health’s Mike Koroscik Addresses Oncology Innovations Rooted in the COVID-19 Pandemic
There have been many silver linings of the pandemic, including improvements in financial, operational, and clinical advancement efficiencies, as well as addressing the total cost of care in population health management, said Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health and the Allina Health Cancer Institute.
ChristianaCare’s Debra Delaney on How Primary Care Influences Oncology Care
It’s important that patients are the healthiest they can be when going into treatment for cancer, emphasized Debra Delaney, MSN, FNP-BC, primary care nurse practitioner at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.
Google’s Dr Scott Penberthy on How AI Is Helping to Facilitate More Time With Patients
Much of artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in the more mundane areas of health care, figuring out where to be most helpful, so doctors can do what they do best, which is diagnostic care, noted Scott Penberthy, PhD, MS, director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO, at Google.