AJMC® in the Press, February 23, 2018

A study in the February issue of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®), “Data Breach Locations, Types, and Associated Characteristics Among US Hospitals,” determined the locations in hospitals where data are breached, the types of breaches that occur most often at hospitals, and hospital characteristics, such as health information technology, that may be predicting factors of large data breaches. The study was included in AHIP’s Tuesday SmartBrief and was the subject of articles in Healthcare Informatics, Becker’s Hospital Review, Campus Safety Magazine, Clinical Innovation + Technology, Newsfactor, and Help Net Security. The study found that paper and films were the most frequent mode or location of data breaches and that hospitals accounted for approximately one-third of all data breaches.

AHIP’s Wednesday SmartBrief, as well as articles in Newswise, Life Science Daily and Health Leaders Media, mentioned the study “Variation Markups on Outpatient Oncology Services in the United States,” which was also published in the February issue of AJMC^®. The study conducted an analysis of publicly available information on Medicare physician payments and found that high markups exist for oncology services. The researchers concluded that further legislation is needed to protect patients from highly variable pricing and to address disparities in access to high-quality cancer care.

As the conversation surrounding healthcare spending persists, an article in AJMC^® rounded up the topics that stay at the forefront of the conversation. The article, “5 Things Being Discussed and Addressed in Healthcare Spending,” was included in the National Pharmaceutical Council’s Wednesday CER Daily Newsfeed. Among the 5 topics were drug pricing, increased annual spending, and government funding.

An AJMC^® published study, “The Effects of Antihypertensive Step-Therapy Protocols on Pharmaceutical and Medical Utilization and Expenditures,” was cited in a Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald article. The study found that after an initial decline in spending, insurers ended up paying an average of $99 more in emergency department visits and hospital stays when they required patients with high blood pressure to undergo step therapy.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s article on former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel’s bipolar diagnosis cited a piece published in an AJMC^® supplement on bipolar disorder. The article, “Bipolar Disorder Costs and Comorbidity,” reported that people with bipolar I disorder were more than 3 times as likely to have alcohol abuse or dependence and about 7 times more likely to have drug abuse or dependence.