December 20th 2024
The top 5 podcasts for 2024 cover Medicare Advantage prior authorization, health equity, global immunization challenges, trauma-informed care, and health literacy.
December 16th 2024
Senate and House Democrats again attempt to expand fertility treatments for veterans and active-duty personnel; CDC expects high hospitalization numbers due to “tripledemic” of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, and the flu; a study found that MDMA, also known as ecstasy, can reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
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What We’re Reading: Updated COVID-19 Vaccines; National Blood Shortages; Lack of Doctor Diversity
September 12th 2023FDA approves updated COVID-19 booster vaccines; low donor turnout and climate disasters result in a national blood shortage; minority patients discouraged by lack of doctor diversity.
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Dr Andre Harvin: Specialty Pharmacists Are Integral to Oncology Care
September 10th 2023Specialty pharmacy is a big area of growth, with opportunity for patients, and specialty pharmacists can help payers and insurers ensure that patients get the full value of oncology medications, noted Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, MBA, chief pharmacy officer, Oncology Services, Cone Health Cancer Centers.
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Nathan Walcker Discusses Value-Based Oncology Care Initiatives at FCS
September 8th 2023Nathan Walcker, CEO at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS), highlights some of the recent partnerships and initiatives at FCS to improve community-based oncology care from a value-based perspective.
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Dr G. B. John Mancini on Payer System Differences Between the US and Canada
September 7th 2023Care quality is high in both the United States and Canada, but there are commonalities in regard to drug access and cost issues, particularly with advanced medications, noted G. B. John Mancini, MD, University of British Columbia.
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What We’re Reading: RSV Cases Rise; Looming AIDS Program Deadline; Potential Early Autism Diagnosis
September 6th 2023The CDC reports an increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases among young children and babies; the deadline looms for reauthorizing the United States’ global AIDS program as it has become a topic within the abortion debate; an eye-tracking device may help to diagnose autism spectrum disorder earlier.
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What We’re Reading: Worker Heat Safety; COVID-19 Anxiety; Nursing Home Staffing Rule
September 5th 2023Rising temperatures demand action against heat-related illnesses; school superintendents face complex decisions as COVID-19 cases rise; national staffing standards for nursing homes present challenges.
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CMS Releases List of 10 Drugs Subject to Price Negotiation Under IRA
August 29th 2023The 10 drugs, spanning disease states from diabetes to heart failure to rheumatoid arthritis, cost Medicare enrollees a total of $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2022. As required by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), negotiations between Part D and pharmaceutical companies will take place this year and next, with the negotiated prices taking effect in 2026.
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Patients and physicians are publicly shaming insurance companies on social media for the troublesome prior authorization process; HHS has awarded $1.4 billion in grants for the creation of new technologies and tools to prevent COVID-19 infection; Novo Nordisk has increased lobbying efforts to allow Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs.
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What We’re Reading: Unpaid Medical Debt; COVID-19 and Hypertension; SNAP Work Requirement Changes
August 21st 2023About 17 million middle-class Americans have unpaid medical bills; more than 1 in 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 developed high blood pressure; work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to begin in September.
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Patients with a specific gene are more likely to develop long COVID; senators send letters to the Internal Revenue Service, urging them to investigate the practices of nonpartisan hospitals; pregnant workers and workers with newborns could potentially gain job accommodations through a new proposal.
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What We’re Reading: Heatstroke Calls Surge; Leqembi Update; Childhood Vaccination Rate Misses Target
August 7th 2023A severe heat wave is causing an uptick in heat-related emergency visits; Leqembi set to be rolled out in the coming months; declining childhood vaccination rate raises concerns over winter surge.
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