AJMC® in the Press, February 16, 2018

AHIP’s Wednesday Accountable Care SmartBrief led with a study published in The American Journal of Accountable Care^®, a sister journal of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®). The study, “ACO Quality Over Time: The MSSP Experience and Opportunities for System-Wide Improvement,” found that from 2013 to 2016, Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organizations (ACOs) improved quality despite their sicker, older population, suggesting that the model might work in other settings and populations and could shift to more advanced risk and payment models.

An article in Consumer Reports about patients getting stuck with big bills following emergency department (ED) visits discussed the notion that ED visits are sometimes inappropriate. The article cited an AJMC^® published study, “Emergency Department Visits for Nonurgent Conditions: Systematic Literature Review,” which sought to determine factors influencing an individual’s decision to visit an ED for a nonurgent condition. The study identified evidence suggesting that younger age, convenience of the ED compared to alternatives, referral to the ED by a physician, and negative perceptions about alternatives play a role in driving nonurgent ED use.

OBR Oncology’s daily newsletter highlighted an article from AJMC^®’s coverage of the 2018 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The article, “Guidelines for Management of Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer,” covered a session that navigated the new guidelines on how to treat and manage muscle-invasive bladder cancer as well as provided insight into how the guidelines have changed the approach of managing the disease.

MDVIP is a national membership-based preventive care network that aspires to reduce primary care clinics from high volumes to smaller and more intimate practices. In a Daily Tribune article surrounding the first physician to be affiliated with the model in a county in Georgia, an AJMC^® published study was cited. The study, “Personalized Preventive Care Leads to Significant Reductions in Hospital Utilization,” assessed the impact of MDVIP and found that hospitalization was 79% less likely for Medicare members versus nonmembers.

National Pharmaceutical Council’s CER daily newsfeed on Tuesday included AJMC^®’s interview with Robert Dubois, MD, PhD, chief science officer and executive vice president, National Pharmaceutical Council. During the interview, Dubois discussed the most important questions that currently need to be addressed in the conversation about healthcare spending and what the consequences will be if unchecked healthcare spending is not addressed. Wednesday’s CER daily newsfeed mentioned an article in AJMC^® about value-based insurance design (VBID). The article, “Proposed Bipartisan Bill, 2018 Budget Deal Provide Positive Implications for VBID,” reported on the introduction of the Chronic Disease Management Act of 2018 and the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which included VBID components.

An article in Becker’s Hospital Review on cancer centers’ struggles with integrating care innovations centered around an article in AJMC^® that covered survey findings by the Association of Community Cancer Centers. The article, “ACCC Survey Recognizes Major Challenges Cancer Centers Experience,” reported that, while an increasing number of immunotherapies are reaching market and becoming available, cancer centers feel unprepared to prescribe these treatments and handle adverse events and side effects.