Health System

Most orphan drug spending does not actually go to patients with rare diseases, a new study shows.

The first batch of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine will be shipped today to states and pharmacies nationwide; Anthony Fauci, MD, says elementary school-aged children very likely to able to be vaccinated by first quarter 2022; special clinics nationwide try to treat COVID-19 survivors who continue to experience long-term symptoms.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

Jeffrey Hogan, Northeast regional manager of the Rogers Benefit Group and member of the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Business Group on Health, discussed how his organization helped providers navigate some of the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the distribution of the nation's third COVID-19 vaccine, and on Sunday, a CDC panel will meet to decide on recommendations to put it into practice.

Use of a specialty pharmacy to take over the management of prior authorization (PA) requests for a dermatology practice significantly reduced the time to a decision and also decreased the time it took to fill the medication.

The substitution of telemedicine for many in-person HIV services during the COVID-19 pandemic has produced mixed results, with persons living with HIV increasingly lost to follow-up despite favorable views of this method of care delivery.

An FDA advisory panel Friday unanimously endorsed the third US COVID-19 vaccine, a 1-shot vaccine produced by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), and an emergency use authorization by the FDA is expected to follow shortly.

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.

Multimorbidity affects 1 in 4 US adults and leads to increased health care use and lower quality of life.

Older patients are at greater risk of death in the earliest stages of dialysis, while females possibly are at a higher risk than men, a review of studies found.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) healthy enough not to have seen a specialist have higher hospitalization rates than the general population, according to a recent study.

The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine can be stored at higher temperatures; the Biden administration pledges $4 billion over 2 years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Medicare payments will soon decrease for hundreds of hospitals.

Hypertension, anemia, and infection were the most common adverse events associated with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), while hepatotoxicity, stroke, and renal failure were the costliest per patient.

An article by Willis Towers Watson discusses how employers are supporting their respective workforce amid the pandemic, with education of approved vaccines and effective communication channels with state and local health departments referenced as key actions to be taken at this time.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we highlight a new feature on AJMC.com, the website of The American Journal of Managed Care®, called Clinical Spotlight, where our editors provide a series of interviews with leading experts in certain specialties.

The Affordable Care Act marketplace reopened yesterday for a special enrollment period that will run until May 15; daily US coronavirus infections drop below 100,000 for first time since November; opioid deaths rise significantly amid the pandemic.

British scientists report research linking a UK coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variant with higher risk of hospitalization and death; polls highlight the partisan gap among Americans willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19; state legislators nationwide are targeting legislation to curb rising drug prices.

Humana and IBM Watson Health collaboration to streamline access to accurate information on benefits and health care costs for Humana employer group members, agents, and employers.

Experts outlined the impact value-based insurance design (VBID) has had on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response and future potential applications of the model.

House Democrats include a major expansion of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies in their proposed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief package; differences between vaccine hesitancy and refusal are spotlighted; CanSino Biologics’ 1-shot vaccine is 65.7% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 cases.

Breast cancer oncologists explore more recent advances using oral chemotherapies to treat metastatic breast cancer.

Patients’ socioeconomic status is a significant factor in predicting survival rates for multiple myeloma, according to a new study.

A CAR T-cell therapy that promises fewer side effects, and possibly lower hospital costs, wins approval after lengthy delays.

A survey by Willis Towers Watson found that nearly half of employer onsite and near-site health centers expanded virtual care services during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, including in chronic condition management and behavioral health.

With New York being at the crossroads of the HIV epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a group of researchers wanted to know what, if any, correlation there was between the 2 disease states.

An investigation of economic data from 3123 US counties, from 2007 to 2016, indicates that the cardiovascular mortality drop the authors saw may be a result of improved economic conditions.

With the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a rising number of uninsured Americans, and a new Democratic president and Senate majority, 2021 is shaping up to be a dynamic year for health care policy.

CDC mandate requiring masks on most forms of public transportation to go into effect today; FDA will extend its review period on a possible new Alzheimer disease drug; HHS will delay the start date of a Trump administration drug pricing rebate rule.

Through an organizational commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives, the biopharmaceutical industry can better serve historically underserved populations and cultivate a more diverse workforce and inclusive culture.