Interviews

Dennis Scanlon, PhD, professor of health policy and administration at the Pennsylvania State University, discusses how extra benefit coverage and the choice to shop for plan options are some factors driving Medicare Advantage (MA) program growth.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Simon F. Haeder, PhD, MPA, professor of public health at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. He and his co-investigators looked at the accuracy of directories of psychiatrists and nonphysician mental health providers for all plans regulated by the California Department of Managed Health Care in 2018 and 2019.

Joneigh Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP, vice president and chief health equity officer for CVS Health, speaks on the goals of the Community Equity Alliance in improving health care disparities, particularly for cardiovascular health and mental health outcomes, within underserved communities.

We’ve found through health equity initiatives that the search for the right telehealth modality is never ending, explained Oncology Consultants of Houston’s Susan Sabo-Wagner, MSN, RN, OCN, executive director of clinical strategy.

At Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, the No One Left Alone (NOLA) initiative is working to break down cancer health disparities among its patients by addressing the social determinants of health that may be preventing equitable access to care.

While there are a number of treatments available for diabetic kidney disease (DKD), the biggest limitation is the lack of early detection, said Daniel E. Weiner, MD, MS, board certified nephrologist and lead navigator at Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Amy Crawford-Faucher, MD, vice chair of the Primary Care Institute and Department of Family Medicine at Allegheny Health Network, discussed recent reports from the World Health Organization about COVID-19.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, discusses plans for implementing precision approaches to quitting smoking, as well as patient hesitations around such approaches.

Dennis Scanlon, PhD, professor of health policy and administration at the Pennsylvania State University, discusses some of the reasoning behind Part D benefits changes in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the cost questions that remain.

Much of the evidence that has been used to base current standard of care for diabetic eye diseases stems from studies performed by the DRCR Retina Network over the years.

The BUTTERFLEYE trial sought to determine if aflibercept, an anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, was equivalent to laser photocoagulation, the gold standard to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm babies.

Patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who are responsive to anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy experienced visual gains with no additional injections in the 6 months after treatment with the gene therapy.

For patients with geographic atrophy (GA) taking pegcetacoplan, the drug’s effect to slow disease progression increases over time as patients take the drug, said Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology, Duke University.

Kirk Campbell, MD, FASN, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, spoke on educational initiatives implemented by Mount Sinai to train resident physicians, medical students, and senior faculty on health equity, as well as further research efforts to address disparities.

Dennis Scanlon, PhD, professor of health policy and administration at the Pennsylvania State University, talks about how it will take time to understand the full effect of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provision allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices with companies.

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, discussed how the FDA’s approval of Rebyota for the prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) may promote cost effective management of CDI for patients and health systems.

Michael N. Cohen, MD, FAAO, retinal surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadephia and Mid Atlantic Retina, speaks about the future of gene therapy and the accessibility and availability of these therapies moving forward.

With no treatment options currently available for geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), pegcetacoplan could fill a huge unmet need, explained Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology, Duke University.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Tom Stanis, CEO and cofounder of Story Health, and Phillip Wood, Intermountain Ventures program director, on how their partnership came about, how it is going so far, and the future of their collaboration.

Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University, discusses key findings and patient attitudes toward precision approaches to quitting smoking.

Amy Crawford-Faucher, MD, vice chair of the Primary Care Institute and Department of Family Medicine at Allegheny Health Network, discussed the potential of a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in children, as well as ongoing efforts to get childhood vaccination rates back on track.

Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, director of Clinical Research at West Cancer Center & Research Institute, spoke about community-level discussions within diversity, equity, and inclusion to be addressed at the 8th Annual West Oncology Conference.

Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, cardiologist and director of cardio-oncology at Rush University Medical, discusses the multidisciplinary process that underlies caring for patients with cancer who may develop heart damage.

Sharon Gill, MBA, chief visionary officer, Total Health, reviewed the agenda and key topics to be presented at the West Oncology Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, which takes place February 4-5, 2023.

Paul G. Alexander, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief health equity and transformation officer, RWJBarnabas Health, discusses how community partnerships helped ameliorate disparities in health care access and accessibility, as well as food and travel insecurities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edward Partridge, MD, chief medical officer of Guideway Care, spoke on his organization’s 25-year history in addressing cancer disparities and the crucial role that care navigators/guides have in achieving value-based care within oncology.

With the public health emergency soon coming to an end, people covered by Medicaid will encounter new barriers, discusses Dennis Scanlon, PhD, professor of health policy and administration, Penn State University.

Terrance Mayes, EdD, and Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, FACS, discuss their new roles as chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s (NCCN) new Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Directors Forum.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Reverend Paul Abernathy, CEO of the Neighborhood Resilience Project and board member of UPMC for You, who discusses his experiences in promoting health and resiliency in trauma-affected communities, as well as challenges related to access and accessibility of care and medical mistrust.

To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery.