Press Releases

Moving healthcare reimbursement from fee-for-service to a system that rewards quality care is easier said than done, but tools are emerging to help the cause. Three expert commentators featured in the inaugural issue of The American Journal of Accountable Care examined the challenges providers face, as they are being ask to share risk under new contracts with accountable care organizations, or ACOs.

PLAINSBORO, N.J. From leveraging their joint buying power to better deployment of a hard-to-find pediatric liver transplant surgeon, two large healthcare systems in Florida are seeing the benefits of sharing resources on a bigger scale, according to Kavita Patel, MD, of the Brookings Institution, and her co-authors who write in the inaugural issue of The American Journal of Accountable Care.

The publisher of The American Journal of Managed Care is proud to introduce a new publication devoted to covering the nation's transition from fee-for-service to payment for quality: The American Journal of Accountable Care, reaching more than 40,000 healthcare professionals four times a year, is a stakeholder-driven publication from the publisher that has brought you the best peer-reviewed research on managed care over the past 20 years.

A study of Aetna patients taking pain medication showed that those who displayed problematic behavior cost the healthcare system more money than a cost control group, even if there was not a diagnosis of addiction.

Dr. Farzad Mostashari, former National Coordinator of Health IT, serves as guest editor of a special issue of AJMC, which covers the breadth of issues concerning how technology is affecting healthcare delivery, quality of care, and payment reform.

Electronic health records are changing the way your family doctor does business, with most now able to view lab results or send a prescription online, a change that advocates say will improve efficiency and lead to fewer medical errors.

CMS Administrator Touted HealthCare.gov on Eve of Troubled Rollout

Electronic health records are changing the way your family doctor does business, with most now able to view lab results or send a prescription online, a change that advocates say will improve efficiency and lead to fewer medical errors.

The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits (AJPB) and the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) today unveiled a strategic partnership between the two organizations, which will provide professionals in the pharmacy benefit management industry with free access to both AJPB and its flagship publication, The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC).

With the US Food and Drug Administration busier than ever with breakthrough and priority review designations, and the rise of genetic-based treatments offering new hope for patients and families, the pressure is on oncologists to push the limits in care. But if it costs $200,000 to extend life just a few weeks, does that make sense? Are doctors having that conversation? When they do, are patients hearing it? These are the very issues that will be on the table in Baltimore Nov. 14-15 when The American Journal of Managed Care convenes experts from the front line.

Yoga's stress-reduction benefits are well-known. Now, a study funded by NIH finds that restorative yoga burns subcutaneous fat in overweight women. The study may point to a practical way for the obese to ease into exercise.

Genetic testing is on the rise, but consumers who order tests without genetic counseling or purchase test kits off the Internet may put themselves at risk. A panel that included the CMO of the American Cancer Society said those risks can range from having the wrong test ordered or the result misinterpreted, or even having prophylactic surgery that turns out to be unnecessary.

More than half of those who write prescriptions today do so electronically, according to a study published this month in The American Journal of Managed Care. The increase is nearly eight times the number who were writing e-prescriptions just four years ago, the study found.

With 73 million Americans suffering from hypertension, and the disease costing the U.S. healthcare system $73 billion a year, health plans are seeking new, cost-effective ways to help patients control high blood pressure. In search of new ideas, researchers from the Group Health Cooperative, which serves patients in Washington State and Idaho, examined how well a Web-based monitoring system would help patients with high-blood pressure get it under control.

With the unveiling of the first FDA-approved system with the name "artificial pancreas," Medtronic will seek a new CMS code that would cover both the insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitoring parts of the process, according to the company.

With speculation about an artificial pancreas rising, the September edition of Evidenced-Based Diabetes Management looked at the three systems that were being considered by the FDA including the threshold suspend technology Medtronic announced Friday and asked the next questions: Assuming the technology is approved, will insurers pay for it? How will this potentially life-altering advance make its way into the hands of the persons with diabetes who need it most?

The concept of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has received plenty of attention, but its foundation is built on understanding who will be the repeat customers. Finding the best yardstick to determine that is the subject of a study published this month by The American Journal of Managed Care.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer among men and women in the United States, yet a recommended test that could be used each year to screen for it only gets used about half the time. Getting patients to use the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) can be difficult, and time demands of primary care physicians (PCPs) don't help. So, a study published this month in The American Journal of Managed Care examined whether telephone counseling could fill that void with a doctor's recommendation.

Vets Study Shows Drop in Usage May Be Linked to Higher Glucose Levels; Former FDA Regulator, Leading Clinician Say 'Mea Culpa' Part of Cautionary Tale

Not long ago, the range of options for a man diagnosed with prostate cancer was fairly narrow: surgery, radiation, or limited chemotherapy choices. Today, there are so many new therapies on the market, with so many possibilities for drug combinations and sequencing, that the questions for clinicians are complex: It's not just which therapy or which drug, but for how long and when do you switch?

AJMC Panel Balances Hope of Recent Breakthroughs Against Rising Costs of Drugs

Healthcare reform will bring new payment models and new power for consumers, and cancer care delivery will not be immune. With that in mind, The American Journal of Managed Care will bring together experts from the front lines to Baltimore, Maryland, November 14-15 for a conference to share how the goals of better care, savings and fair compensation can be achieved, even in the world of oncology.

A new study from The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits finds that physicians who treat cancer patients may be influenced by the reimbursement policies of the Medicare claim processors that pay them.

Evidence-Based Oncology begins its 'Status in the States' series, which examines how healthcare reform will affect cancer care in different parts of the country. The first installment looks at Kentucky, where the Governor has taken aim at a history of tobacco use and high cancer mortality rates.

The federal sequester trims Medicare payments for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in doctors' offices in an effort to save the government money. Instead, it will end up costing more in the long run, according to the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Cancer drug shortages continue to confound the best efforts of the Food & Drug Administration to head them off, in part because the agency has little authority to address what causes them to occur, according to a co-author of an attention-getting study about shortages.

Expert panel convened by the American Journal of Managed Care provides insight into the challenges faced by clinicians and payers when administering cutting-edge cancer medications.

Nearly one-fourth of 3.5 million opioid users had a least one indicator that suggested potential misuse by patients, or inappropriate prescription practices by providers, according to a study just published in The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC).

When providers and insurers collaborate on providing efficient care in settings like accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes, it presents them with an ability to share savings. However, when a patient's care exceeds projected cost expectations, current models of shared-saving contracts can disproportionately affect insurers.

Health Information Technology (HIT) remains an increasingly integral part of healthcare reform. Now, a recent study shows that more 75% of hospitals are participating in Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, and more than half of those have achieved Stage 1 meaningful use of that technology.