Health Care Delivery

A prospective study found evidence of serum neurofilament light (sNfL) level increases in patients affected by active forms of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS); however, these findings were not significant enough to suggest sNfL measurements replace clinical or MRI monitoring of disease activity.

The Joint Commission is launching the Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program to standardize staff training and patient care practices at rural health clinics nationwide; the American Cancer Society recently launched the largest-ever study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women; the HHS COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved $732 billion by preventing illness and related costs.

Regular users of the emergency department (ED) transiently reduced ED visits when faced with ED access barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Morse, MD, FACP, MHS, medical oncologist at Duke Cancer Center, explained gaps in care access and equity that must be addressed to ensure all patients with liver cancer can get the treatments they need.

In this interview, Chris Pagnani, MD, PC, emphasizes the benefits of telemedicine and its role in improving accessibility, particularly in the realm of mental health care.

A very unusual case of 2 chronic leukemias, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and secondary chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) existing simultaneously in an older patient was treated with a pair of targeted kinase inhibitors.

Nancy Dreyer, PhD, MPH, FISE, chief scientific advisor to Picnic Health, shares some of the ways that direct-to-patient approaches have improved observational research.

A Mendelian randomization study using genetic analysis found that alopecia areata (AA) increases the risk of anxiety and depression, but not the other way around, providing unique evidence for a causal link while adding to existing evidence.

Fifty percent of US rural hospitals are facing financial problems; US lawmakers have called out the corporate spending of 3 large nursing home companies; hospice patients under Medicare Advantage are now facing uncertainty after the government ended its pilot program.

During her session, Polina Reyblat, MD, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, highlighted best practices urologists should incorporate to make transgender and gender-diverse patients comfortable during physical exams and avoid retraumatization.

A secondary analysis investigating the efficacy of a digital, interactive cognitive behavioral therapy program for insomnia (CBTi) demonstrated the positive impacts of the program for patients with insomnia or a high risk of co-morbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA).

In part 2 of our interview with Binod Dhakal, MD, he addresses how CARTITUDE-4 study findings help to advance the clinical understanding of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) and the importance of vigilance and education on the treatment’s adverse effects.

There are many options to try for patients if one therapy doesn’t work, but there are challenges around getting new treatments into the clinic, said Joshua Meeks, MD, PhD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

CMS rules hindered the access of rural patients with cancer to medically integrated pharmacies in 2023. The authors discuss the impact on equity in health care, emphasizing the need for regulatory change.

Patients with small or slow-growing tumors or those with comorbidities that make them higher risk are likely better candidates for active surveillance, explained Yuzhi Wang, MD, of Henry Ford Health Vattikuti Urology Institute.

Quoc-Dien Trinh, MD, MBA, chief of urology at Brigham & Women's Faulkner Hospital, highlighted successful efforts to improve prostate cancer care access for underserved communities in Massachusetts.

Evolving treatment for bladder cancer is going to require a multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are receiving optimal care, said Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, medical director of the Carolina Urologic Research Center.

A retrospective analysis suggested that immune cells play a role in the progression of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

This week, the Center on Health Equity and Access highlights a variety of gaps that exist in health care, spanning women's health, the rising rate of metabolic disease, and policy for LGBTQ+ and immigrant populations. The consensus among featured experts points to comprehensive care models.

In this interview, Chris Pagnani, MD, PC, shares how telemedicine is transforming mental health care by making psychiatry accessible for patients, especially for those in health care deserts.

A systematic analysis demonstrated the rarity of super-giant basal cell carcinomas and the need for further characterization of these understudied skin cancers.

A new federal rule will enable thousands of immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to obtain health care through the Affordable Care Act; a forthcoming CMS rule is expected to lower home-based care wait times and raise caregiver wages; the HHS Office for Civil Rights has finalized 2 rules that strengthen the ACA’s health care discrimination ban.

There was a marked increase in the prevalence of targeted therapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which corresponded to positive overall survival rates observed in the study.

Among over 60,000 nursing home residents who initiated antihypertensive medication, rates of excess fractures due to falls per 100 person-years were as high as 5 among certain patient groups, such as those with dementia and high blood pressure (BP).

A recent meta-analysis that assessed prescribed exercise in managing multiple sclerosis (MS) detailed the benefits of resistance training for improving muscle weakness in this patient population.

Two bird flu vaccines could be available within weeks; Walmart Health struggles to expand in retail health care services; repeal of 1864 law preserves abortion access in Arizona.

Representatives from ICON plc and Symphony Health joined forces at AXS24 to discuss the challenges of managing high-cost specialty drugs and how they influence self-funded employer benefit plan design and employee access to specialty medications.

The health-system specialty pharmacy has the unique ability to coordinate better with the provider and take a team approach that reduces the chances of dropping the ball on the patient’s care.

Doug Long, MBA, vice president of industry relations at IQVIA, covered a bevy of stakeholder investment–related topics in his presentation at AXS24 on trends in specialty pharmacy, chief among them challenges facing the industry, obesity medications, generics and biosimilars, new product launches, and the outlook for the US market.

A recent meta-analysis drew limited conclusions about the impact of 1-night sleep restriction on cognitive function, stressing the need for further research consideration.