Health Care Delivery

In our coverage of myasthenia gravis this year, the top developments show the effects of COVID-19 continue to be uncovered, a new FDA approval for generalized disease, and assessing patient outcomes following uncontrolled disease and respiratory distress.

The Center on Health Equity and Access offers updates on recent news, breakthroughs in research, and ongoing initiatives aimed at tackling health care disparities and enhancing overall access to top-notch care.

Following the FDA approval of vonoprazan in the treatment of erosive esophagitis, Dr Colin Howden discussed important information about the new therapy.

Two doses of batoclimab were evaluated for their effectiveness in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) who were seropositive.

Robert Groves, MD, of Banner | Aetna discusses the challenges primary care practitioners (PCPs) face when addressing social determinants of health (SDOH).

Also known as Sanfilippo syndrome, this rare genetic syndrome has no known cures and what current treatment options are available are expensive and limited in supply.

This year’s most-read articles on autoimmune diseases explored comorbidities with cardiovascular disease, the value of new forms of monitoring and therapy, and more.

A vaccine is showing promising results in treating melanoma; the Biden administration will implement inflation penalties on dozens of drugmakers to reduce out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients; the CDC issued an alert urging health care providers to increase immunization coverage for influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Colin Howden, MD, discusses the mechanisms at work in vonoprazan as well as patient monitoring and potential future uses following a recent FDA approval for the treatment of erosive esophagitis.

This year’s most-read articles on multiple sclerosis (MS) explored the emergence of new medications, modes of therapy, and predictive tools in the study of MS.

The rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in children plummeted by 72% from 2002 to 2021; health care spending in the United States rose 4.1% in 2022 to $4.5 trillion; roughly two-thirds of Americans who have a mental health condition were unable to access treatment in 2021 despite having health insurance.

This editorial provides suggestions for improving the process of e-consults, which are a promising method of expanding access to specialty care.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that children with obesity receive intensive counseling at age 6 to promote healthy diet and exercise habits; a new survey found that the majority of American patients are wary of their doctors using artificial intelligence (AI); a class-action lawsuit was filed Tuesday against health insurer Humana for using an AI algorithm that systemically denies seniors rehabilitation care recommended by their doctors.

Elaine Siegfried, MD, of Saint Louis University School of Medicine discusses the use of biologics to treat atopic dermatitis (AD) and how they differ from other treatments.

A medication monitoring program using medication bottles waws found to be effective in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), though the usage will need additional support.

This year’s top content from the fall meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) highlights both treatment gains made through innovative referral, screening, and assistance initiatives and the ongoing need to improve health equity and research inclusivity.

Although direct-mail self-sampling significantly increased cervical cancer screening, the opt-in approach only minimally increased screening.

Andrew Srisuwananukorn, MD, of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, explained the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)-based support tools for differentiating primary myelofibrosis (prePMF) and essential thrombocythemia (ET) in the community setting.

Ana Ferrigno Guajardo, MD, discusses lingering questions following the results of a study on taxane chemotherapy interventions in patients with breast cancer during pregnancy.

Siddhartha Yadav, MD, discusses real-world data demonstrating the mass underutilization of BRCA testing in patients with breast cancer.

For the first time, researchers identified sex-based differences in genetic expression of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs).

This phase 3 study investigated sacituzumab govitecan, a Trop-2–directed antibody-drug conjugate, vs treatment of physician’s choice in pretreated patients who have endocrine-resistant hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common form of breast cancer.

Authors highlight key aspects of the California Cancer Care Equity Act, including its focus on Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the requirement for managed care plans to contract with specialized cancer centers, and the definition of complex cancers.

Stephanie Graff, MD, details insights from a study evaluating the perspectives and perceptions on clinical meaningfulness from patients, clinicians, and caregivers.

Results showed that evobrutinib did not produce a more superior reduction in annualized relapse rates than teriflunomide, a previously approved disease-modifying agent.

This data represented the first-ever research presented at ACR on both fractures and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease.

New data presented at ACR 2023 highlighted the differences in rates of flares and Boolean 2.0 remission rates compared to patients with rheumatoid arthritis who continued a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi).

Despite there being a great demand for data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity in the cancer space, individuals who identify as a sexual and gender minority remain poorly represented.

Spanning 22 studies, the analysis illuminated housing disparities, occupational hazards, unequal health care access, economic inequality, and discriminatory industry practices and how they collectively contribute to heightened lung cancer risks.

Many questions remain surrounding accurately classifying the risk of developing invasive breast cancer associated with the benign breast disease diagnoses of nonproliferative lesions and proliferative changes without atypia.