All News

While a majority of national lives are covered by vertically integrated insurers, the proportion varies widely at the state level from as low as 6% to as high as 97% of covered lives, according to a new American Medical Association (AMA) report about competition in the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) sector and insurance.

President Joe Biden is directing HHS, through an executive order, to use the Innovation Center to lower drug prices; the US extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days; the CDC reported that 75% of teenagers experienced adverse childhood experiences in 2021, which worsened their mental health.

The model was found to be predictive and may help identify patients with multiple myeloma at a high risk of early disease progression.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Within a selection of therapies showing efficacy over a placebo, lenalidomide-carfilzomib was a standout against the rest of the group.

There have been many silver linings of the pandemic, including improvements in financial, operational, and clinical advancement efficiencies, as well as addressing the total cost of care in population health management, said Mike Koroscik, MBA, MHA, vice president of oncology, Allina Health and the Allina Health Cancer Institute.

Brian MacDonald, PharmD, senior director of specialty clinical strategy and innovation at Magellan Rx Management, explains how enhanced utilization management programs are implemented and can lead to cost avoidance for rare disease treatments.

Integrated primary care services may offer better outcomes in patients living with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) without increasing costs.

A new report finds inflammation scores can predict outcomes among patients receiving immunotherapy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Two posters presented at AMCP Nexus 2022 addressed the cost-effectiveness of guideline-recommended integrase strand transfer inhibitor–based triple therapy in people living with HIV, as well as the efficacy of adjuvant lenacapavir in treatment-naïve patients.

Winners of the Association of Community Cancer Centers 2022 Innovator Awards, presented at the National Oncology Conference, include a program to embed primary care in a cancer center and an effort to increase compliance with giving patients same-day medication education.

It’s important that patients are the healthiest they can be when going into treatment for cancer, emphasized Debra Delaney, MSN, FNP-BC, primary care nurse practitioner at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Ochsner Health's program was among the recipients of the 2022 ACCC Innovator Awards, given to projects that improve patient care, are cost-effective, and are replicable.

New and emerging medications in the specialty drug pipeline were discussed during a keynote address at AMCP Nexus 2022 by Aimee Tharaldson, PhD, senior clinical pharmacist of emerging therapeutics at Express Scripts, with biosimilars, orphan drugs, and cell and gene therapies emerging as key trends to watch.

A cross-sectional study found that severe anemia was common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and was associated with lower glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and multiple adverse outcomes.

Much of artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in the more mundane areas of health care, figuring out where to be most helpful, so doctors can do what they do best, which is diagnostic care, noted Scott Penberthy, PhD, MS, director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO, at Google.

William B. Miller, Jr, MD, evolutionary biologist, medical doctor, and author explains the importance of cellular research in finding inventive solutions to the growing burden of cancer.

A cohort study found that patients diagnosed with diabetes at a younger age were more at risk for adverse outcomes when compared with later diagnosis.

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.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Matthew D. Eisenberg, PhD, lead author of a study published in the October issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® that investigated the use of high-deductible health plans and their impact on substance use disorder care and spending.

Kelly Price, US Head of Rare Disease at HRA Pharma, argues proving the value of the prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) market may lead to better coverage of PDTs.

Athena Gierbolini, president of Hope for HS, a nonprofit advocacy group for those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), discusses current knowledge on the impact of diet and other holistic care strategies in the management of HS.

Kevin N. Astle, PharmD, assistant professor at University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy, expands on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) therapies in the pipeline discussed at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus fall 2022 meeting.

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.

Stakeholders at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus 2022 meeting review federal legislative and regulatory updates in managed care pharmacy and the impact that upcoming midterm elections will have on these provisions.

However, the researchers said their findings should not be interpreted as completely refuting the possibility that hydroxychloroquine might be a useful tool in preventing or slowing the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Beveridge, now with Avalere Health, addressed the importance of clinical pathways in selecting therapies in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the emergence of options for EGFR Exon 20 Insertion+ NCSLC.

Despite the use of therapies to address the clinical manifestations of myelofibrosis (MF) and essential thrombocythemia (ET), the symptom burdens of these conditions continue to negatively affect patient quality of life (QOL).

Risk for individual hepatobiliary cancers varies from comorbidity to comorbidity, researchers found.