AJMC® in the Press, April 6, 2018

Studies published in the April issue of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) gained attention this week. One study, “Physician and Patient Tools to Improve Chronic Kidney Disease Care,” was mentioned in an article from EHR Intelligence. The study found that awareness of chronic kidney disease is low among patients and physicians and that a combined program of electronic health record tools and patient engagement improves some areas of care, but substantial gaps remain.

Another study in the April issue, “Financial Burden of Healthcare Utilization in Consumer-Directed Health Plans,” was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and was discussed in a USC News article. The study compared differences in outcomes between individuals who switched to consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) and individuals who remained in traditional plans. The researchers found that enrollment in a CDHP increased the financial burden associated with healthcare utilization, especially for those with lower incomes and with chronic conditions.

HomeCare, a business magazine for home health professionals, mentioned a study published in the March issue of The American Journal of Accountable Care^®, a sister publication of AJMC^®. The study, “A Managed Care Organization’s Call Center—Based Social Support Role,” concluded that the managed care organization—based social service referral program represents an alternative approach for coordination of the health system’s capacity to link patients to community resources.

The National Pharmaceutical Council’s Tuesday CER Daily Newsfeed included an article and 2 videos from AJMC^®. The article, “Health Policy Experts Voice Ways to Tame Rising Drug Costs, Protect Patients,” covered a series of 3 papers published in Health Affairs that laid out a series of proposals to bring down prescription drug costs, lower US healthcare spending, and protect patients. The Newsfeed included an AJMC^® interview with Gail Wilensky, PhD, senior fellow at Project HOPE, in which she addressed the shift to value-based care over the years and what can be done to keep moving forward. The section of the AJMC^® peer exchange “Special Considerations in HIV Management” that discusses the cost-effectiveness of newer HIV therapies was also included in the Newsfeed.