Patients, caregivers, and providers need education on immunotherapy treatment, support in patient-provider communications as well as support in mitigating the financial impact of immunotherapy treatment.
Typical health plan data provide limited information for benchmarking physician performance using even a less stringent rule for attributing patient measures to physicians.
This study explores potential weight-related disparities in the quality of care for adults with diabetes in a large health plan according to recommended quality indicators.
This study describes a widespread variation in medication adherence, pharmacy cost sharing, and medical spending. Increased cost sharing may decrease adherence and increase total diabetes spending.
From the Adult Diabetes and Clinical Research sections, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
High-deductible health plan members with bipolar disorder experienced a reduction in nonpsychiatrist mental health provider visits but no changes in other utilization.
Anticoagulation clinics in an integrated healthcare system differed widely in their organization and management, but these differences were not consistently related to their performance.
This study identified populations with non-cancer chronic pain to determine which patients may be more likely to receive an opioid prescription in an outpatient setting.
Electronic health record data can be used to predict patient absenteeism accurately. Predictive overbooking of missed appointments can significantly increase service utilization.
An interdisciplinary transitions of care service composed of nurse navigators, pharmacists, and medical providers reduced 30-day hospital readmissions among patients who received all components of the intervention.
Type of health insurance plays a significant role in the likelihood of receiving the recommended treatment among women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Among patients likely needing mental health care, two-thirds had no discussion or perfunctory discussion of mental health during periodic health exams.
Hospitalization is costly and associated with the potential for adverse medical events. Hospitalists are uniquely positioned to help avoid unnecessary emergency department admissions through consultation.
This study suggests that implementing a patient-centered medical home requires additional staff with specific expertise based on the needs of the practice and its population.
On the second day of "Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory Into Practice," Jan Berger, MD, MJ, president of Health Intelligence Partners, moderated the panel discussion "Measuring the Impact of Pharmacists in Diabetes Patient Care."
Interactive voice response reminders had neither a positive nor a negative effect on promoting influenza vaccination over reminders via postcards, but are a potentially less expensive option.
The authors review published evidence regarding associations between high cost sharing for specialty pharmaceuticals indicated for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer, and their utilization.
Small practices with NCQA patient-centered medical home recognition perform better on quality measures, especially those related to chronic conditions.
Reducing inappropriate use of cardiac telemetry may improve the cost of care while maintaining patient safety.
Proactive identification of cognitive impairment and compensatory destigmatized patient/familial psychoeducation regarding “forgetfulness” in hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure may reduce readmission rates substantially.