Health Care Delivery

As the first quarter of 2021 ends, patients choosing to keep using secukinumab may be offered an inducement to switch to another biologic, ixekizumab.

Survey responses of 320 US hospitals highlight the dire consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on facilities and point to a future of ongoing financial and staffing challenges.

After a 12-month follow-up of patients in the CHAMP-HF registry, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary Score (KCCQ-OS) was shown to be more prognostically accurate compared with New York Heart Association functional class.

Investigators found 10 main themes characterizing the differences between primary care clinics classified as high- and low-performing in distributing diabetes care.

How can health care systems talk about the issue of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy with their patients? On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Pat Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, interviews the developer of interactive, people-centered, multimedia, educational programs for Wolters Kluwer Health.

Patient data about emergency department use by this population is limited, the authors said.

Despite patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension reporting good quality of life and low symptom severity, functional limitations persisted, suggesting improvements to the patient experience are needed, according to researchers.

Dayna Clark, MPH, and Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH, MSc, explain why patient trust is important for hospitals to have, as discussed in their poster presented at the 2021 AcademyHealth National Health Policy Conference.

Amid the pandemic, organizations utilizing a value-based care reimbursement model may be better positioned than those using a fee-for-service model to delineate high-risk patients and manage their care, particularly for long-term symptoms that may arise due to COVID-19.

A survey released this month of US patients with blood cancers shows a somewhat surprising level of hesitancy about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, but because patients with cancer were not included in clinical trials, the situation for this population is somewhat nuanced.

Among these factors, having a higher degree of disability from multiple sclerosis (MS) was independently associated with higher morbidity and mortality risks from having a comorbid case of COVID-19.

There is a lack of standards for diagnosing and treating nail psoriasis, a situation needing attention because the condition is often a precursor to psoriatic arthritis.

Pharmacists from the Cleveland Clinic discuss the impact of payer dispensing requirements, known as white bagging and brown bagging, on oncology practices and on patients.

Despite HHS’ recommendation that everyone with HIV start antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after their diagnosis, uptick disparities remain and are especially apparent among persons with drug abuse or dependence.

The study examined the cost to Medicare when patients with end-stage renal disease switched from their employer-based health insurance to Medicare between 2007 and 2017 before the end of the 30-month coordination period.

Patients with multiple sclerosis have high rates of urinary and kidney infections, inpatient hospitalizations, and outpatient hospital claims, according to recent results presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting.

A panel of experts provided consumer insights into value-based insurance design (VBID) and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed consumer behaviors in a way that VBID may be able to address as the country emerges from the pandemic.

Responses from a study of in-person focus groups show that not only do patients report adverse effects on quality of life, physical well-being, and mental health but that their caregivers do as well.

A value-based care team approach can be utilized to adequately treat patients’ medical problems, particularly by addressing the social, economic, and environmental challenges they’re facing in their everyday lives.

A desire to remove barriers to high-value care and provide services that would improve health and quality of life drove early adopters of value-based insurance design (VBID).

After Medicare Part D plans stopped covering a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) therapy, patients had gaps in care and increased out-of-pocket costs, according to a recent study.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the chief medical officer for Virginia’s Medicaid program about 4 ways payers can make sure that those with opioid use disorder get the treatment they need; the strategies are outlined in the March issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

A novel skin test was shown to detect metabolites that could predict the development of Parkinson disease, as well as delineate changes in lipid processing and mitochondria that can be leveraged to better understand how the disease develops.

With a marked increase in virtual care use amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several strategies can continue to evolve its effectiveness and adoption. This includes addressing disparities in usage among older populations and underserved communities, as well as improving home monitoring and interoperability.

More real-world evidence is needed to determine what role a score of 100 on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) might have in daily clinical practice, according to a recent review.

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be less likely than commercially insured individuals to be treated with newer medications to lower glucose levels, according to results of a retrospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open.

During a session presented at the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) National Health Policy Conference, Michael Chernew, PhD, the director of Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab at Harvard Medical School, and Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, founding director at Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, discussed the potential for Medicare innovation and reforms in 2021 and beyond.

The $1.9 trillion spending package aimed at providing COVID-19 relief for those with low and middle incomes also represents the biggest investment in the exchange marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since the landmark law was passed 11 years ago.

Social risks (food insecurity, housing instability, financial strain, health insurance type) are associated with patients’ decisions to avoid/delay health care and increased utilization of the emergency department.

Investigators sought to better understand increasing price trends, including those seen among disease-modifying drugs to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases.