Population Health

Data released in the CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicate that patients with end-stage kidney disease on hemodialysis who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, or of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are at greater risk of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections, with Hispanic/Latino ethnicity cited as an independent risk factor.

Five leading academic cancer centers are assessing the feasibility of implementing the Health Equity Report Card pilot project as a tool that can both meaningfully and feasibly measure and report on equitable care practices.

The United States possesses the highest infant and maternal mortality rates compared with any other high-income country, even though it spends the most on health care.

Richard L. Martin III, MD, MPH, spoke on the goals he has in his new role as medical director of health equity and community engagement at Tennessee Oncology, and what lessons he has learned so far in providing care to underserved communities.

Paul G. Alexander, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief health equity and transformation officer, RWJBarnabas Health, spoke on population health management strategies employed by his organization to identify and address health disparities in the communities they serve.

N. Benjamin Fredrick, MD, of Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State University College of Medicine, speaks on the key themes he presented during his session at the 2023 Health Equity Summit in San Diego, California, as well as topics related to the measurement, creation, and implementation of health equity initiatives.

Michelle Y. Williams, PhD, RN, of Stanford Health Care, speaks on the key themes she presented during her session at the 2023 Health Equity Summit in San Diego, California, titled, "Launching a Health Equity Strategy."

To best improve health equity, population-based payment models should both incorporate social goals and increase payment for historically marginalized communities, a recent study has found.

Despite greater incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) reported among Hispanic Americans, these populations report less MM maintenance therapy, longer time from MM diagnosis to novel therapy initiation, and higher in-hospital mortality rates.

Michael Thompson, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance), addressed the current state of health equity strategies in the workplace and how employers can better address inequities in their benefit designs, programs, and policies in the near future.

Lower US life expectancy attributed to COVID-19, drug overdoses; suggestions to mask up lack teeth even as respiratory illnesses and hospitalizations spike; emergency department (ED) doctors look to curb private equity investments in staffing firms.

Incidence of Parkinson disease in North America was 50% higher than previous estimates of 60,000 diagnoses annually.

The dilemma of Alzheimer disease in primary care, as well as other health challenges in aging populations, was the focus of a recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Portland, Oregon.

Leaders from Ochsner, Xavier, and their partners gathered on September 13, 2022, in New Orleans to offer an overview of the Healthy State initiative during a session of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine®.

Non-White patients with hidradenitis suppurativa reported longer delay in diagnosis than their White counterparts. In addition, Black patients did not receive dermatologic care as early in their disease course as other racial groups.

Patients exposed to childhood maltreatment were at greater risk for developing atopic disease compared with unexposed counterparts, and risk of atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis may have been attentuated by misdiagnosis.

A partnership between a university and the local Black community in San Bernadino County, California, illustrated how pharmacists can actively work to improve vaccine uptake in their communities.

A cross-sectional study showed that patients experiencing homelessness were at more than 2-fold greater age-adjusted mortality risk due to COVID-19 compared with the general population, with these increased risks observed across race/ethnicity and sex status.

The monthly volume of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses administered have returned to the level observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic among children in an integrated health care system in California, but HPV vaccine coverage remains lower compared with prepandemic levels.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed the influence of genetics and background on the care management of lupus nephritis.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, discussed why it is important for dermatologists to educate patients on atopic dermatitis (AD) and keep an open mind on variations in disease presentation by skin color.

Representation of Black and Latinx resident trainees was shown to be worse in dermatology vs other specialties, and annual representation in dermatology remained unchanged between 2005 and 2020.

Individuals who completed their full primary series of COVID-19 vaccination were more likely to report getting the influenza vaccine vs those who did not, and vice versa.

Jen Gunter, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist, author, and specialist in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders, spoke on the change in perspective regarding the medical and scientific community's role in dispelling health care misinformation on social media and in the press.

Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for the 2021-2022 term, discussed the major focuses and breakthroughs in nephrology to be presented at Kidney Week 2022, which include novel treatments for common and rare kidney diseases, as well as efforts to address disparities for transplant and care access.

CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that US adults of non-Hispanic Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic race/ethnicity exhibited significantly higher influenza hospitalization rates and lower vaccination coverage compared with White adults.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in community and home health nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, addressed the impact of food/housing insecurity and other social determinants of health (SDOH) on care outcomes in home health.

The FDA authorizes the COVID booster shots for children as young as 5; babies born during the pandemic may experience delayed communication skills compared with babies born prior; regulatory burden has increased for 89% of medical practices.

Two stakeholders from Avalere Health discuss the utility of patient-centric value frameworks for equitable health care delivery, as well as challenges and strategies regarding its implementation at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022.

Patients with hepatitis C virus infection and chronic homelessness who were placed into permanent supportive housing exhibited a significantly reduced risk of hospitalization and liver-related morbidity and mortality.