This study compares the impact of the 3 different out-of-pocket maximums proposed in Congress and by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent a significant benefit for the initial treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic non−small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Beyond clinical benefit of increased overall survival, it represents a class of medications with a favorable adverse effect profile compared with chemotherapy. Drugs that target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand PD-L1 are ICIs that work by taking the brakes off the immune system and promote T-cell−mediated cancer cell destruction. Current NCCN guidelines recommend that all patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC have their PD-L1 status (amount of PD-L1 on cancer cells) assessed to guide treatment section. However, this recommendation is not always followed and may lead to inappropriate treatment selection and potential increased cost. Through appropriate biomarker testing, subsequent appropriate utilization of ICIs may help to drive down other costs and improve health-related quality of life. Managed care pharmacists should continue to focus on promotion of guideline concordant care that includes appropriate biomarker testing and selection of an evidence-based preferred treatment option.
Older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or CVD risk factors report that gaps in communication among their providers are common and hazardous.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a smoking cessation service in a group of patients admitted to a short-stay unit in the emergency department.
Within the same physician groups, 2-sided risk in Medicare Advantage (MA) was associated with higher quality and lower utilization for dually eligible beneficiaries compared with fee-for-service MA and traditional Medicare.
For pharmacists wondering whether bismuth quadruple therapy still reigns as the gold standard, the wait is over—the latest recommendations are here.
Panelists discuss how the relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment landscape evolved significantly in 2024 with expanded Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor options, growing real-world evidence for newer agents, and emerging combination strategies, while expressing optimism for future advances in personalized therapy approaches and novel drug development.
Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, explains how addressing the most burdensome components of chronic hand eczema can improve overall health.
This study evaluated whether limited English proficiency modifies the association between cardiovascular risk factors or cardiovascular disease and outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Self-pay emergency department prices rose significantly from 2021 to 2023, especially at for-profit and system-affiliated hospitals, highlighting growing affordability challenges for uninsured and underinsured patients.
Drs Steven Levine, Patricia Ares-Romero, Samuel Nordberg, Martin Rosenzweig, and Carrie Jardine share insight on the future treatment landscape for TRD.
Panelists discuss how the future of PAH treatment looks promising with potential for disease remission through reverse remodeling agents, emphasizing the need for continued research focus on patients with other forms of pulmonary hypertension and those with significant comorbidities.
This analysis evaluates the relationship between hospital care delivery network fragmentation and in-hospital and 90-day outcomes. These networks may be novel targets for improving outcomes.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to routine medical care in community populations in Taiwan. The unmet needs should be emphasized as normal life resumes.
Learn about how Allegheny Health Network's "Food as Medicine" initiative tackles food insecurity and enhances health through personalized nutrition support.
In this study, 52% of adult patients achieved the treat-to-target goal of 1% BSA or less within 3 months of incorporating tapinarof cream into their biologic regimen.
Angel Qin, MD, identified the critical role of immunotherapy timing and shared decision-making in small cell lung cancer while also addressing the need for more broadly applicable treatments and personalized care.
Care coordination engagement increases over time in long-term high-cost, high-need patients, with no identifiable data-driven times for when to initiate patient care de-escalation.
This study provides insight on the experiences of patients of a national health plan with 2 structural determinants of health—health care discrimination and health literacy—and how those interact with social determinants of health and patient demographics.
US safety data show that elinzanetant caused few adverse events and no new liver-related concerns in women, James Simon, MD, explains.
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness and budget impact to US payers of point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) for group A streptococcus.
A methodology to monitor patient-in-the-loop modes and faults was examined using a hybrid automata model that was able to replicate patient’s real-life operation modes.
This retrospective study evaluated real-world implementation of the updated CDC HIV algorithm in a large US laboratory.
This study evaluates the growth in electronic consultation use over the first 7 years after its implementation across the entire Veterans Health Administration system.
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) must focus on enhancing the nonemergency medical transportation Medicaid benefit to improve patient access during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency as states reopen.
Authors from the Community Oncology Alliance and Avalere Health present data that show breast cancer screening rates recovered more slowly among some racial/ethnic groups following on the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.