Health Care Cost

Patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) who had suboptimal response to eculizumab can switch to pegcetacoplan for a cost-effective alternative, according to. acost analysis.

The annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) meeting returns to Nashville, Tennessee, on November 7-8, bringing oncology stakeholders together for 2 days of discussions and presentations on the rapidly changing oncology care landscape.

This study demonstrates a method for understanding the effects of drug spending in the design of alternative payment models.

Changes in the medication therapy management (MTM) program willl require planning on how to best fund this program in a way that drives medical cost savings.

“Our findings further reinforce that place is important and that the social, economic, and health care equity context is key to minimizing health care expenditure disparities for Black adults in the US," investigators explain.

Many sleep experts want to permanently stay in the standard time zone; Medicare will cover mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists beginning in January; a new Minnesota law requires hospitals to check if patients are eligible for financial assistance before referring medical debt for collections.

Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, MHA, BCBBS, discusses highlights of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine® (IVBM) event, held in partnership with Providence Health System, that recently took place in Newport Beach, California.

This retrospective cohort study of rural hospitals found that Medicare Advantage penetration increased substantially from 2008 to 2019 and was associated with greater hospital sustainability.

This report illustrates how providing vital diabetes medications to uninsured patients through a charitable medication distributor improves clinical outcomes.

A difference-in-differences analysis of health care claims data evaluated excess health care costs in the 12 months following COVID-19 diagnosis among the general and older adult populations.

A report published by the Urban Institute estimates that if the 10 Medicaid nonexpansion states were to implement expansions in 2024, Medicaid enrollment would increase by 5 million people, and 2.3 million fewer individuals would be uninsured

Democratic senators urge private insurers fully cover Opill, an OTC contraceptive pill; providers pursue lawsuit against Arizona's abortion rule; a quarter of US medical students contemplate leaving their studies.

The generic drug market focuses on price. However, multiple generic metformin drugs have been recalled due to poor drug quality. The authors examine price and quality after these recalls.

Federal actuaries have projected what they believe to be health care spending through 2030-2031 in 9 important areas.

Saira Jan, PharmD, MS, of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, discussed cost savings that occurred so far from their collaborative pilot program with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJ Barnabas Health and also noted those they predict to occur as the program continues.

Pharmacy workers embark on a multiday strike; Fathers are taking paid family leave to bond with their newborns; the FDA is set to evaluate a pioneering gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD).

Adults with osteoarthritis who took part in a digital musculoskeletal program had lower rates of knee and hip arthroplasty at 12 months vs those using traditional care.

Half of the surveyed adults reported difficulty affording their health care, and a large proportion said they delayed or avoided care or medication because they couldn’t afford it, often leading to their health problems worsening.

Researchers have developed a new line method (NLM) that showcased benefits for genetic screening in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

Melissa Levine, MD, a family medicine specialist at Arizona Community Physicians and medical director for the Abacus Health accountable care organization (ACO), discussed strategies for succeeding in an ACO and how primary care can complement oncology care for patients with cancer.

This comprehensive comparative analysis examined the economic and health care resource utilization implications of initiating glucocorticoid and exon-skipping therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance, discusses early returns from the Enhancing Oncology Model and how community oncology practices are innovating in ways that can expand into other areas of medicine.

The study indicated the potential of preventative drug lists (PDLs) as a strategy for those who have high deductible health plans to address both patient access and affordability of asthma care.

FluMist Quadrivalent could become the first self-administered flu vaccine in the United States; the American Society of Reproductive Medicine updates its definition of infertility to be more inclusive; the Environmental Protection Agency moves to ban the use of a cancer-causing chemical .

At the 2023 COA Payer Exchange Summit being held October 23-24 in Reston, Virginia, Lalan Wilfong, MD, US Oncology Network, emphasizes the importance of oncology care equity, ensuring continuity of care, and enhancing care coordination.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans pose financial challenges for small rural hospitals; 2 bans proposed in Texas would prohibit transportation for abortion procedures; delays in reauthorizing US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) risk the program’s effectiveness and integrity.

This analysis demonstrates value and innovation of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in the US Kaiser Permanente health system.

Study investigators note their meta-analysis may be the first to demonstrate the importance of interventions to support adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer.

A 5-year randomized trial showed that the Million Hearts Model, which paid health care organizations to monitor and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, was effective in reducing first-time heart attacks and strokes without associated increases in Medicare spending.

Monica Bertagnolli, MD, fielded questions on hot-button issues during the long-delayed Senate hearing on her nomination to head the National Institutes of Health; Pfizer announces the list price for a 5-day course of its COVID-19 antiviral, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid); a federal initiative is distributing funds to programs aiming to prevent drug overdoses in pregnant women.