Population Health

US drug shortages have decreased from 323 to 277 as of September 2024, yet many essential drugs remain scarce, with 50% of shortages lasting over 2 years due to ongoing supply and manufacturing issues.

The authors detail how artificial intelligence could be used in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to improve health outcomes and provide better value-based care.

Prior authorizations (PA) have been the subject of much scrutiny as of late through research demonstrating subsequent limited access to care in the aftermath of PA denials from use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Global respiratory leaders at the CHEST 2024 annual meeting underscored the ongoing clinical burden of tuberculosis, emphasizing that it remains a significant global health challenge that requires ongoing attention and awareness.

The authors evaluated whether adolescents receiving care at accountable care organizations (ACOs) vs non-ACOs were more likely to initiate and complete the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination series.

Of the 10% of women contacted for this survey who said that they or their partner had ever sought fertility assistance, only 7% were able to get the necessary care; cost was cited as the top reason for not being able to access fertility services.

Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance programs all showed significant variability in expenditures based on social and nonclinical factors.

A study in Indiana found that older adults in low-income clinics often experience memory problems that go undetected, with African American patients facing a significantly higher risk.

Vaccine hesitancy grew more prominently in the wake of COVID-19 and the spread of misinformation. This flu season, seeking out reliable sources of health information will help individuals make the best decisions to protect themselves.

The Wellth smartphone app significantly increased medication adherence and lowered unnecessary health care utilization and costs over 9 months among Medicaid beneficiaries who were self-managing chronic conditions.

Amidst ambiguous international guidelines for first-line treatment of opioid use disorder, a new population-based study sheds light on the benefits of methadone vs buprenorphine/naloxone for holding off treatment discontinuation.

Financial advocacy in health care should advocate for system change and community work to give people better access to health and well-being before they get a life-changing cancer diagnosis, said Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, FACCC, of Wake Forest University and the Association of Cancer Care Centers.

Mortality outcomes were analyzed for the COVID-19 public health emergency period, from March 2020 through May 2023, to see if there were any apparent differences according to race or ethnicity.

Lecanemab (Leqembi; Eisai/Biogen) received traditional approval from the FDA in July 2023, following an accelerated approval in January 2023, to treat adult patients who have Alzheimer disease.

When medically complex patients transfer to LTACHs, they receive specialized ICU-level care and rehabilitation that improves outcomes and reduces readmissions.

The FDA has approved FluMist (AstraZeneca) for self-administration by adults up to age 49 years or for caregiver administration for children aged 2 to 17 years, making it the first self-administered flu vaccine option.

The proposed Medicare High-Value Drug List Model, also known as the Medicare $2 Drug List, could have modestly reduced out-of-pocket costs for 38% of beneficiaries if implemented in 2021.

The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law on August 16, 2022, and the debate over its Medicare-related benefits and impact on the prescription drug market has been raging ever since.

Results from a new study link inpatient food insecurity with longer hospitalization and greater chances of readmission.

An IVBM event cohosted by The American Journal of Managed Care focused on Healthy State, a multiyear, multistakeholder commitment to moving Louisiana ahead in America’s Health Rankings.

Maternal navigation for pregnant patients who chronically miss prenatal care appointments is necessary to reduce premature births and associated health care costs.

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) with a major teaching hospital were associated with lower mortality, lower inpatient spending, lower emergency department utilization, and higher overall outpatient spending.

This article explores how payers can enhance their medication adherence initiatives to reduce costs and improve member health outcomes by leveraging predictive analytics through machine learning.

Here are 5 areas of specialty care that rural communities often lack, putting them at a distinct disadvantage for optimal short- and long-term health outcomes and highlighting inequitable access to care for those often living in economically disadvantaged areas.

New prevalence estimates of atrial fibrillation found that approximately 10.5 million US adults, or 5% of the population, have the condition.

The rate of uninsurance in 2023 was 8.0%, a statistically insignificant change from the 7.9% uninsured rate in 2022.

During the Delta wave of COVID-19, higher caseload strain negatively impacted patient survival rates across US hospitals, regardless of their size or resources.

Discussions of social determinants of health might focus on the obvious ones—like income or education—while overlooking some other social determinants that impact health in complex ways.

Alzheimer disease research is yielding breakthroughs with blood tests and brain scans that can enhance early diagnosis, while new drugs promise to slow the disease and improve patients’ lives.

Manisha Jhamb, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), is excited about CMS's negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for patients with kidney disease; conversely, she highlights the challenge of low kidney disease awareness.