Health Care Delivery

The CDC recommends pregnant women receive RSV vaccinations; 6 states expand their Medicaid programs to offer dental coverage; a new bill aims to address issues in the US organ transplant system

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.

Matthew Crowley, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, discusses telehealth initiatives at Duke Health, as well as overcoming virtual challenges and barriers that underserved and underinsured patient populations who need diabetes care face.

Patients treated for more than 28 days had a higher chance of status epilepticus cessation, but also a high risk of moderate to severe disability at discharge, according to one study.

The median age of death remained consistently 10 years lower for Black and Hispanic males in comparison to White males, underscoring a critical area for further attention.

Findings showed that autonomic symptom burden was slightly more severe in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those with NMOSD, although the difference was not statistically significant.

Data from 6 states—California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania—and 2 metropolitan areas—Atlanta, Georgia, and Detroit, Michigan—collected through the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study were used for the investigation.

In a retrospective, real-world cohort study, the factors complicating the diagnosis of primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (PPMS) were explored.

Researchers found that analyzing certain chemokine levels may help explain racial disparities in prostate cancer lethality, and that neutralizing such chemokines could potentially benefit prostate cancer treatment.

At the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health 2023 Wellness Summit, Seun Ross, PhD, explains the business case for achieving health equity.

Drugmakers turn to artificial intelligence (AI); new reports of vaccine appointment cancellations or insurance issues; Biden plans to clear Americans’ credit scores of medical debt.

Jennifer Sturgill, DO, inpatient medical director of population health, Central Ohio Primary Care, co-presented “Value-Based Care: What Is It and Why Should We Care?” at our most recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event with the Zangmeister Cancer Center of Columbus, Ohio, on September 14.

Public health professionals are the backbone of our health system, and their contributions are vital to the well-being of our communities. As a society, we must value their work, provide the support they need, and ensure that public health remains a rewarding and viable career choice.

"CMS cannot do this alone. We have to do this in partnership. So really thinking about providers and beneficiaries and how we do this together," Ellen Lukens, MPH, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, explained.

A new study aimed to summarize publicly available coverage policies of commercial health insurers for digital medicine services.

Persistent disability and risks of death were associated with inflammatory levels in patients following major abdominal surgery.

A tailored electronic health record (EHR) alert system did not significantly increase the prescription of guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) at hospital discharge for patients with acute heart failure (AHF).

If clinicians empower individuals by giving them the appropriate tools and education to promote brain health, it can make a big difference, said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD.

Kristin Oaks, DO, Agilon regional medical director at Central Ohio Primary Care, spoke at our recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event held with Zangmeister Cancer Center. Here, she addresses the importance of value-based care within the primary care space.

Patients now have higher expectations of us health care professionals, and we have to meet those expectations, said Donna Fitzsimons, PhD, FESC, professor of nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast.

Researchers add to evidence suggesting that inflammatory factors contribute to increased risk for valvular heart diseases, such as aortic stenosis, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, director of pharmacy at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, shares his unique perspectives as both a provider and payer on the use of prior authorizations (PAs) and "Gold Cards" in patients with rare diseases.

An observational study confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted care for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

When patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) received eculizumab, survival rates increased and thromboembolic events/major adverse vascular events (TE/MAVE) decreased.

In this interview from our Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event, held in partnership with the Zangmeister Cancer Center of Columbus, Ohio, on September 14, Kristine Slam, MD, FACP, Central Ohio Surgical Associates, discusses the benefits of value-based care in the breast cancer space.

At the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health 2023 Wellness Summit, Vikki Walton, MBA, addresses the role employers have in health equity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer potential solutions to the growing demand in mental health; patients face weight loss drug shortages and insurance complications; updated mask guidelines cause worry among health care workers.

Secondary effects not only improved past 16 weeks, but showed a sustained improvement at week 56 of mavacamten, said Milind Desai, MD, MBA, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center and vice chair of education at the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic.

"Even though awareness was increasing, it wasn't translating into action," Taylor-Desir explains. "We know from our experience as physicians, that physical health and mental health are tied."

Despite seeming to elicit more pathological complete responses (pCRs) in patients with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), HER2-negative triple-negative breast cancer (BC) receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, diet and exercise did not affect relative dose intensity.