Population Health

J. Jaime Caro, MDCM, FACP, FRCPC, is chief scientist at Evidera, professor in practice at London School of Economics, and adjunct professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at McGill University.

The United States will ship approximately 80 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines abroad; Ireland's health services system could be hobbled for weeks by a ransomware attack; the FDA recalls more than 60,000 pacemakers manufactured by Abbott.

Anthony Fauci, MD, told attendees at the ATS 2021 International Conference that the real-world evidence of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is even better than expected.

A pediatric infectious disease expert reviewed some developments in the vaccine development pipeline, especially new efforts targeting infant health through maternal immunizations.

There is a role for pharmacists and pharmacy quality measures in addressing the public health challenge of diabetes, according to speakers at a recent virtual meeting this week.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, talks with the founder and CEO of ConsejoSano, a patient engagement firm working with diverse, multicultural, multilingual populations about the importance of building relationships and trust when trying to understand opinions and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination.

The FDA said vaccinating adolescents is another step in getting the country back to prepandemic life.

William Shrank, MD, MSHS, the chief medical officer of Humana, discusses how the company is trying to overcome any vaccine hesitancy both in its workforce and in its insured member population.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the chief strategy officer for Well Being Trust, one of the authors of a recent report about how well health insurers and state Medicaid programs are covering mental health care for children and compliance with federal law. We discuss the unique challenges that youth face, the health disparities, racism, and community trauma that has been experienced in the past year, and some creative ways that organizations and communities can consider increase access to mental health supports.

Neglecting public health in state budgets for more than 10 years created an environment that was ill-suited to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 as well as other issues. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with one of the authors of a recent paper that examined state funding trends from 2008 to 2018 and discuss what could be done in the future to avoid past mistakes.

Phase 3 data show the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 6 months after the second dose; the USDA will not move forward with a plan to cut food stamps; data reveal spike in drug overdose deaths during pandemic.

Early on in the pandemic, Cotiviti developed a COVID-19 tracker map that accurately predicts where in the United States new COVID-19 outbreaks would occur. Nicole Neumarker, of Cotiviti, provides insight into what impact this technology could have in the future.

How can health care systems talk about the issue of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy with their patients? On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Pat Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, interviews the developer of interactive, people-centered, multimedia, educational programs for Wolters Kluwer Health.

Patients discharged from hospitals after recovering from severe COVID-19 were found to have lasting functional impairment and post-traumatic stress symptoms months after, according to a study.

A panel of policy experts, including employees of the previous 2 administrations and a former lobbyist for health plans, discusses achievements of value-based insurance design and how to take the concept to the next level.

The $1.9 trillion spending package aimed at providing COVID-19 relief for those with low and middle incomes also represents the biggest investment in the exchange marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since the landmark law was passed 11 years ago.

In a briefing, the White House COVID-19 Team discussed the first guidance from the CDC on activities that individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely resume, and Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave an update on antiretroviral drug development.

Data from 38,193 patients showed that managed care patients have COVID-19 risk factors similar to those of the general population and that a population health program decreased mortality.

On this edition of Managed Care Cast, we present a short excerpt from a January webinar titled “Color and COVID-19: The Virus’ Disproportionate Impact” hosted by the MJH Life Sciences™ COVID-19 Coalition about how the pandemic has had an unequal, devastating impact on communities of color.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), under a new administration, on Wednesday dropped its previous position that the now-defunct tax provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cannot be severed from the rest of the law, thus making the entire health law unconstitutional.

Prediabetes may not be a robust diagnostic biomarker for predicting future diabetes development in older adults.

The intersection of climate change and negative impacts on health were brought into sharp focus this week with executive orders from President Biden, a move by General Motors (GM) to stop making some gasoline-powered cars, and top global cardiology organizations calling for urgent action on air pollution.

The Biden administration will reopen the health exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA); direct HHS and other agencies to reexamine other health policies, including Medicaid work requirements; and reverse the so-called global gag rule while affirming support for reproductive health.

Health plan pharmacists are in the perfect position to see overprescribing as it happens.

As Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, prepares to assume the role of CDC director on January 20, the infectious disease specialist faces a myriad of challenges wrought by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

A population-based study from the Netherlands showed that individuals with had at least 1 direct relative affected with chronic kidney disease (CKD), suggesting that biomarkers for CKD can aid in detecting the early stages of the disease.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the new chief financial officer of Strive Health, a value-based kidney care company that works with payers and providers to create an integrated care delivery system for chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We discuss the changes coming to nephrology practices, as well as new ways of looking at the whole patient to halt the slide to irreversible ESRD.

Addressing the social health needs of those ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenge for providers and health care systems. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Permanente, who discusses the organization's guide that walks clinicians through considerations to keep in mind when screening patients in order to improve health outcomes as well as reduce community transmission.

The FDA warns against making any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines; joint health care venture, Haven, dissolves; Moderna announced it will increase production of its vaccine by 100 million doses for 2021.

Discussions between the FDA and Operation Warp Speed officials have mentioned the implementation of half-dose coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine regimens; the United Kingdom becomes the first country to administer the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine; the outlook for mental health in 2021.