Health Care Delivery

Soft tissue and bone infections, urinary tract infections, stroke, and electrolyte disorder top the reasons why patients with diabetes are admitted to the hospital at greater frequency and cost compared with patients without the disease, according to a new study.

A roundup of diabetes news you may have missed from across MJH Life Sciences™.

William Shrank, MD, MSHS, the chief medical officer of Humana, discusses how the company is trying to overcome any vaccine hesitancy both in its workforce and in its insured member population.

The study results were released as nephrologists and others are awaiting the findings of a joint task force of 2 national kidney organizations looking at alternative approaches to estimating glomerular filtration rate.

In this analysis of the National Readmissions Database, the authors investigated the association between interhospital fragmentation of care, reason for readmission, and patient outcomes.

Alberta, Canada becomes the latest province to begin switching patients from originator adalimumab (Humira) to biosimilar versions as part of its Biosimilars Initiative.

Courtney Blair, MD, discusses how COVID-19 has impacted patients with allergies and other respiratory conditions.

Researchers were successful in wirelessly recording the direct brain activity of patients with Parkinson disease, while also showcasing the first demonstration of adaptive deep brain stimulation at home.

Ensuring that employees have the assistance and tools necessary to meet telehealth and behavioral health demands is vital to promote safety and health amid the pandemic, along with lowering or eliminating out-of-pocket costs that can steer people away from cancer screenings, therapies, or aspects of high-value care.

Although the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has delayed the start of payment models for kidney care, one dialysis provider says it remains committed to the concept.

CVS will expand its pilot mental health program; CMS adopts new rules to lower out-of-pocket costs; a study highlights overuse of cervical cancer screening tests.

The FDA decision on Xywav in idiopathic hypersomnia is expected in the third quarter of 2021.

Authors of a global meta-analysis concluded that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who are generally at a higher risk for lung cancer, may gain some protection from inhaled corticosteroids.

Dostarlimab, for patients with recurrent or advanced deficient mismatch repair endometrial cancer, and a companion diagnostic, were recently approved by the FDA.

Erin Jospe, MD, and Chris Gervais of Kyruus discuss how the company partners with health care organizations to help improve their COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

Quantifying the return on investment came up for both those implementing an oncology care pathway (as a potential barrier) as well as for payers still not convinced it is a way to go.

Risk of infection topped the list of concerns among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who altered their usual care routines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With immunosuppression, self-regulatory mechanisms may start to decrease, and these are the patients who develop skin cancers more frequently, said Rajiv Nijhawan, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to uphold the original language of the emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccination, and is possible the 1-dose vaccine could resume Saturday.

Investigators explored common challenges cited by hospital staff as barriers to implementation and adherence with national guidelines for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A recently published study found that the DCTclock, a test for cognitive assessment, was associated with greater detection of biomarkers related with cognitive decline in patients who had yet to show any symptoms when compared with traditional testing methods.

Egyptian dermatologists were asked about the effect of COVID‐19 on prescription patterns, appointment rescheduling, therapy decisions, and telemedicine use.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, independent community practices were integral in helping patients access chemotherapy and other critical treatments, participate in clinical trials, and screen for serious diseases. However, the pandemic also presented significant challenges to them, their operations, and their patients.

Microsoft's acquisition of Nuance reflects health care trends of an economy emerging from COVID-19, according to a speaker at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians Virtual Spring Managed Care Forum.

With unprecedented pauses in air pollution emissions in spring 2020 and ongoing virus mitigation behaviors around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to better understand the impact of poor air quality on human health.

While bosentan and sildenafil is a common combination therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), patients may need to transition to alternative therapy because of the potential for drug-drug interactions with this combination.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the chief strategy officer for Well Being Trust, one of the authors of a recent report about how well health insurers and state Medicaid programs are covering mental health care for children and compliance with federal law. We discuss the unique challenges that youth face, the health disparities, racism, and community trauma that has been experienced in the past year, and some creative ways that organizations and communities can consider increase access to mental health supports.

During her opening plenary at the NAACOS Spring 2021 Conference, Liz Fowler, PhD, JD, deputy administrator and director of the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, highlighted how the center is taking a pause to reassess its models and what is coming next.

With persons living with HIV increasingly succumbing to age-related diseases, a group of investigators looked into the greater risk of coronary artery disease among these individuals.

Compared with disease-modifying therapy (DMT), age, insurance status, and Hispanic ethnicity were shown to more accurately predict likelihood of COVID-19 and hospitalization from it among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).