AJMC® in the Press, October 26, 2018

An article from Modern Healthcare on preventive care cited The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) study, “High-Touch Care Leads to Better Outcomes and Lower Costs in a Senior Population.” The study found that compared to a standard practice-based model, a high-touch primary care model among a Medicare Advantage population led to lower healthcare costs and fewer hospitalizations.

The AJMC^® published study “Hepatitis C Care Cascade Among Persons Born 1945-1965: 3 Medical Centers,” analyzed patients with newly diagnosed hepatitis C and found that although linkage to care was largely successful in the target birth cohort, treatment initiation remained low. The research was included in an article from Infectious Disease Advisor.

Health Data Management’s article on prescription drug monitoring programs mentioned a 2017 study published by AJMC^®. The study, “State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and Fatal Drug Overdoses,” concluded that the programs were not associated with reductions in drug overdose mortality rates and may be related to increased mortality from illicit drugs and other, unspecified drugs.

OBR Oncology’s Monday Newsfeed included an article from AJMC^®’s sister franchise, The Center for Biosimilars^®. The article, “Genentech Expands Rituxan's Label Ahead of Potential Biosimilar Approval,” covered Genentech’s announcement that the FDA had approved an update to its reference rituximab (Rituxan)'s label.

The National Pharmaceutical Council included 2 AJMC^® interviews in their Thursday CER Daily Newsfeed. In the first interview, Jennifer Graff, PharmD, vice president of comparative effectiveness research, National Pharmaceutical Council, discussed the use of real-world evidence for delivering high-quality care. In the second interview, Christopher Diehl, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, clinical pharmacist, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, discussed how the role of pharmacists has evolved with growing presence of value-based models.