Health Care Delivery

To inform intervention development, we assessed for medication changes and patient care needs following treat-and-release Veterans Affairs emergency department visits for chronic ambulatory care–sensitive conditions.

A study found that patients with end stage renal/kidney disease (ESRD) who undergo left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation had higher 1-year mortality compared with patients with chronic kidney disease.

Preventing health-care–associated infections in acute-care hospitals is crucial for patient well-being and health care cost burden, and comprehensive guidelines based on current research are an important aspect of prevention.

UPMC Health Plan, RxAnte, and Mosaic Pharmacy Services outlined how they are operating a value-based pharmacy care management program within Community HealthChoices, Pennsylvania’s managed Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) program, at a recent conference.

Drugs currently marketed for pulmonary arterial hypertension have been able to extend the lives of patients but have shown limitations in their ability to prevent or reverse the disease. A novel combination approach may hold promise in future treatments.

According to the researchers of this new study, the biomarker may have potential for use with clinical scores in treatment decisions or in clinical trials that focus on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

Next-generation sequencing identified different molecular profiles of pediatric and adult sarcomas among Chinese patients.

The researchers highlighted a need for the detection of more relevant markers and guidance on how to treat adverse events (AEs), the types and severity of which vary based on disease type.

In this study, outcomes were investigated among a cohort of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program post hospital discharge after they survived acute onset of HFrEF.

A navigation program demonstrated decreased odds of repeat emergency department (ED) visits in patients with low baseline ED utilization and increased odds of follow-up primary care appointments.

Elaine Siegfried, MD, professor of pediatrics and dermatology, Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, speaks on safety considerations for the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis.

Investigators found quality of life (QOL) effects may be tied to patients’ perceptions of cognitive impairment, rather than objective measurements of impairment from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

When it comes to making equity improvements and successes sustainable, leadership from the top levels are required, and that means finding champions who are bold, open to collaboration, and willing to explore new partnerships with an open mind, the panel agreed.

A machine learning approach identified age and several comorbidities, such as nasal polyps and asthma, as being associated with revision endoscopic sinus surgery among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Nurse practitioners are increasingly meeting primary care demands in underserved areas and are more likely to deliver structural capabilities related to chronic disease management.

Future quality conversations must recognize what the pandemic has illustrated over the past 2 years—that patients who were in the most dire need of health care, including those with multiple chronic conditions, had the least amount of access, said Jonathan Blum, MPP, the principal deputy administrator and chief operating officer of CMS.

This approval of trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) follows the March release of data from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial on the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, also a HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate, which indicated superior outcomes vs trastuzumab emtansine.

An overlapping comorbidity profile was observed among patients with plaque psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis, although risks of certain comorbid conditions varied between the 2 groups.

Investigators found 6 genes associated with cancer-associated fibroblasts that appear to correlate with response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

In patients with liver involvement, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was a common diagnosis among some patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP).

At the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) 2022 Annual Meeting Wednesday, participants heard about some unexpected insights arising from a workshop held this week between patients and pharmacists who are creating a patient-centered outcomes research agenda focused on addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) in the community pharmacy setting.

A recent review found that home-based pulmonary rehab had comparable short-term benefits to outpatient pulmonary rehab, although the outcome quality was low.

Atopic dermatitis was associated with the greatest burden of disease compared with 2 other types of dermatitis, in which high incidence and disability-adjusted life-years rates corresponded with high sociodemographic index areas.

Using socioeconomic status (SES) as their primary exposure, investigators from McGill University, University of Manitoba, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec, and Laval University investigated reasons behind insulin pump uptake disparities in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Québec.

The drug, oteseconazole, is an azole antifungal indicated to reduce the incidence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis in females who are infertile or postmenopausal.

Value-based payments were a benefit during the pandemic, but it remains to be seen if patients are interested in keeping those changes in care delivery as the pandemic recedes, said Jayson Slotnik, partner, Health Policy Strategies, Inc.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ari D. Panzer, BS, lead author and researcher, then at Tufts Medical Center—now at Duke University—discusses the findings from his team’s investigation into coverage decisions by health plan insurers of the 66 drugs approved by the FDA in 2018.

Scott Gottlieb, MD, and Adam Fein, PhD, discussed potential fallout of the FDA Aduhelm approval and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) who initiated treatment with dupilumab as an add-on asthma or chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps therapy reported rapid clinical improvement that was sustained after 3 months.

Of the 5800 patients included in study, 20% were Black, which the researchers say adequately represents disease incidence among the population.