Health Care Delivery

A study found that the characteristics and location of epilepsy centers in the United States are associated with differences in presurgical testing for drug-0resistant epilepsy.

A phase 3 study showed Ferring’s RBX2660, an investigational microbiota-based live biotherapeutic, to be safe and significantly reduce recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) after antibiotic treatment, with a sustained response achieved through 6 months.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will give cancer claims priority when a new law takes effect in January 2023; Pfizer is looking to use its COVID-19 profits to grow other blockbusters; the probable loss of Medicaid coverage for millions next year is setting off debate.

The Supreme Court will hear a nursing home case Tuesday that could have far-reaching consequences; COVID-19 is continuing to take a toll on worker productivity; ultra-processed foods are linked to premature deaths in a new study.

Efforts are needed to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries with poor mental health receive regular routine care, which may be facilitated by having a personal doctor.

The analysis emphasizes the association between vaso-occlusive crisis frequency and health care costs, which are inflated largely due to inpatient visits.

A new report underscores how treatment decisions for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) affect patients’ health care utilization and costs.

Daniel E. Weiner, MD, MS, board certified nephrologist and lead navigator at Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, spoke on the limitations and future potential of value-based payment systems for chronic kidney disease (CKD), including the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) Model and the Kidney Care Choices (KCC) Models.

Curtis Warfield, MS, senior quality analyst, Indiana State Department of Health, and regional leader of National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Advocacy Committee, spoke on limitations regarding the current process of educating and managing lifestyle interventions for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and how nephrologists can better integrate these strategies.

It has been 3 years since new kidney care payment models were announced by HHS, and at a session at Kidney Week 2022, the associate division director of nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham described his organization’s participation in Kidney Care First, one of the value-based care models announced in 2019.

Jen Gunter, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist, author, and specialist in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders, spoke on the change in perspective regarding the medical and scientific community's role in dispelling health care misinformation on social media and in the press.

Jennifer Green, MD, professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, member of Duke Clinical Research Institute, and EMPA-KIDNEY collaborator, discussed findings of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial presented at Kidney Week 2022, which showed a 28% improvement for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on empagliflozin, whether in reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease or progression of CKD.

With no sign that medical misinformation is going away, a session at Kidney Week 2022 delved into how nephrologists and researchers can educate and inform the public.

A study presented at Kidney Week 2022 examined the effect of combining diet coaching with financial assistance for Black adults with hypertension and advanced chronic kidney disease.

Brent W. Miller, MD, board certified nephrologist and professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, discussed new and emerging technologies for at-home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, as well as efforts that have been made to address uptake issues for patients with kidney disease.

Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, reduced the risk of death or worsening progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by 28%, according to results published Friday at Kidney Week 2022.

A poster presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 showed that patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), who had Medicare Advantage Part D coverage or were enrolled in a commercial health plan were associated with significantly greater health care resource utilization, including emergency department and inpatient visits, compared with those without rCDI.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of Dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on challenges in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), as well as promising therapies in the pipeline that target specific pathways suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease.

Two data sets from patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) show the benefits of macitentan (Opsumit) monotherapy despite guidelines calling for combination therapy, even among patients with World Health Organizational functional class I-II disease.

Physicians and scientists are worried about the future pandemic preparedness, and the reasons why are largely due to social and political influences, according to a keynote speech and panel discussion on the first day of Kidney Week 2022.

The findings suggest telenursing between in-person visits may help reduce distress related to symptoms in patients who have lung cancer.

A poster presented at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 shows that patients with intermediate Parkinson disease place a significant resource burden on the US health care system in regard to treatment, emergency department visits, and admissions to rehabilitation centers.

Jim H. Rhodes, deputy county administrator, Camden County, New Jersey, spoke on how his organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has aided their value-based initiatives in improving health equity in the region.

Emergency department (ED) readmission was more common than dermatology follow-up among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) within 30 and 180 days of initially presenting to the ED, with patients with Medicaid coverage and those who had an opioid prescribed were more likely to return.

Only 18% of US adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 26% of adults at risk for CVD use wearable health devices.

Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for the 2021-2022 term, discussed the major focuses and breakthroughs in nephrology to be presented at Kidney Week 2022, which include novel treatments for common and rare kidney diseases, as well as efforts to address disparities for transplant and care access.

A significant uptick in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) among patients with comorbid asthma has been seen in the country over the past decade.

The program, serving patients from rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, allergy, and cardiology clinics, is the first of its kind within the Veterans Health Administration, researchers said.

Patients with young-onset Parkinson disease experience significant emotional burden that is exacerbated by unmet educational needs.

It is unclear what role treatment plays in affecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk, the authors found.