Health Care Delivery

Informal caregivers of people with Parkinson disease residing in the United Kingdom discussed challenges faced in providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included risk of infection, lack of access to care, and the impact of lockdown on engaging in activities of daily living.

Because of its often slowly progressive nature, dementia is often included among chronic disease management programs. Yet, for many reasons, its management demands different approaches.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, discussed several policy needs for home health care, including improved caregiver support, updated eligibility criteria for in-home care, and reimbursement for telehealth.

The author, the dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University Los Angeles, says a Supreme Court ruling could upend insurance protections for patients with kidney diseases, disproportionately hurting those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other diverse ethnicities.

Blacks and Hispanics with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are more than twice as likely to have severe outcomes from COVID-19 compared with White patients with SLE, a new study has found.

The index for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) was crafted based on a literature review by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

Despite known racial disparities in access to advanced heart failure (HF) treatments, the reasons for this continue to require further exploration. In this new study, investigators searched for associations between ventricular assist device use and heart transplant and race (Black or White).

A medical student at the University of Kansas discusses a research project she started in her first year of school—2020—looking at whether a racial bias in pulse oximetry was present in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

The goal of this new study was to gain more information on the disease burden, including costs, of patients living with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that US adults of non-Hispanic Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic race/ethnicity exhibited significantly higher influenza hospitalization rates and lower vaccination coverage compared with White adults.

The researchers said the index has the potential to help other organizations identify and assist populations with poverty and poor health.

Would older adults use an app to assess the safety of their homes before joint replacement surgery, and if so, what might it feature? Researchers conducted a feasibility study to find out more.

Black and Hispanic patients living with chronic inflammatory skin disease (CISD) have more barriers to care compared with White patients with CISD, according to a recent study.

Arianne Baldomero, MD, MS, a pulmonologist in the Veterans Health Administration, discusses findings of a study looking at chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) disease management for veterans in rural areas.

Data suggest incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) vary widely among regions, although the authors noted some regions have been studied more extensively than others.

Compared with Ethiopia’s current nonmandatory hepatitis B vaccination program, expanded vaccination coverage among health care workers was shown to be more cost-effective and result in improved life expectancy gains.

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) from Finland reported a higher incidence rate of cataract surgeries prior to PD diagnosis vs those without the condition, potentially due to other eye diseases and prodromal symptoms of PD.

Martin Runnström, MD, a fourth-year fellow at the Emory University School of Medicine, describes a study he presented at CHEST 2022 showing a reduced response to a 2-dose immunization series for SARS-CoV-2 among patients using biologics to treat severe asthma or atopic dermatitis.

Researchers reviewed clinical features of hidradenitis suppurativa and provided strategies to promote earlier identification, differentiation from common mimickers, and timely referrals for multidisciplinary management.

Some atopic diseases affect asthma outcomes more than others, said Basil Kahwash, MD, an assistant professor of medicine on the clinical educator track in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who spoke at CHEST 2022.

A digitally delivered targeted intervention of symptom and trigger education, treatment reminders, lifestyle coaching, and healthy lifestyle support demonstrated significant improvements in treatment adherence and related clinical outcomes among Icelandic patients with atopic dermatitis.

There are several closely watched randomized trials examining catheter-directed therapies for acute pulmonary embolism, according to Parth Rali, MD, an associate professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and director of the Temple University Health System Pulmonary Embolism Response Team.

Telemedicine may be the future of health care for American Indians and Alaskan Natives who live in tribal communities and remote areas.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in community and home health nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, addressed the impact of food/housing insecurity and other social determinants of health (SDOH) on care outcomes in home health.

Panelists at an Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus 2022 session discussed enhanced utilization management strategies to manage the rising cost of specialty drugs, while providing members with support for rare, complex conditions.

Chelsee Jensen, PharmD, senior pharmacy specialist at Mayo Clinic, talks about the importance of patient, provider, and nursing education as the US biosimilars landscape evolves.

The concluding keynote address at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 meeting discussed new and emerging oncology drugs in the pipeline and their potential impact on the treatment landscape as it pertains to managed care providers.

Patients have to always come first, and technology can enhance their care experience, stated Anne Marie F. Rainey, MSN, RN, CHC, director of quality and value-based care at Clearview Cancer Institute.

On day 1 of this year’s Association of Community Cancer Centers’ (ACCC) National Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® sat down for a conversation with David Penberthy, MD, MBA, ACCC’s president for the 2022-2023 term, and his brother Scott Penberthy, PhD, MS, director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO, at Google.

President Joe Biden is directing HHS, through an executive order, to use the Innovation Center to lower drug prices; the US extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days; the CDC reported that 75% of teenagers experienced adverse childhood experiences in 2021, which worsened their mental health.