January 28th 2025
The high cost of incretin mimetics for weight management limits insurance coverage and potentiates variation in utilization management strategies to control near-term spending.
MA Primary Care Payment Models Influenced Telemedicine Usage During the Pandemic, Research Shows
July 16th 2021Larger primary care practices in downside risk–only payment models and capitation saw the highest telemedicine utilization rates by their patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
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How Biogen’s Aduhelm Approval Marks a Precipitous Turning Point for the FDA
July 14th 2021A string of controversies surrounding the approval of Biogen's Alzheimer disease drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) has not only called into question the independent nature of the FDA, but puts both providers and patients in a challenging position when it comes to deciding whether or not to prescribe or take the treatment.
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Large Self-insured Employers Lack Power to Effectively Negotiate Hospital Prices
This study examines the ability of self-insured employers to negotiate hospital prices and the relationship between hospital prices and employer market power in the United States.
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Pooled Results From Atezolizumab Trials Show Immune-Related AEs Can Predict Longer OS
July 5th 2021Data from IMpower 130, IMpower 132, and IMpower 150 confirm that combining atezolizumab with chemotherapy is the best first-line treatment in advanced NSCLC when anti-PD-L1 therapy is indicated.
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CMS Targets Health Care Disparities in ESRD Rulemaking for 2022
July 2nd 2021The proposed changes to the payment model for end stage renal disease (ESRD) would make it the first payment model under the CMS Innovation Center to directly address health equity by incentivizing increased rates of home dialysis and kidney transplants.
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Reports Highlight Strengthening Primary Care After the Pandemic
June 29th 2021Linda Schwimmer, JD, president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, discusses 2 reports on strengthening primary care after the COVID-19 pandemic: one from her own organization and the other from the National Academy of Medicine.
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Use of Evidence and Technology to Improve Quality and Eliminate Low-Value Care
June 23rd 2021One-third of health care in the United States is wasted. Despite this recognition, solutions are sparse. The Optimal Care model combines evidence-based medicine, patient-centered technology, and outcomes reporting to transform health care.
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MedPAC to Congress: Change MA Benchmarks, Slow Down on APMs
June 18th 2021The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested several changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) plan benchmark calculations, with the intent to generate yield savings for Medicare, and urged CMS to streamline alternative payment model (APMs) where it can.
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Commercial and Medicare Advantage Payment for Anesthesiology Services
June 16th 2021Mean in-network commercial allowed amounts and charges per anesthesia conversion factor are 314% and 659% of traditional Medicare rates, respectively. Medicare Advantage payments align with traditional Medicare prices.
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Association of Co-pay Elimination With Medication Adherence and Total Cost
This study evaluated cost and utilization attributed to members enrolled in a health care program with no pharmacy co-pay. Health care savings were identified in addition to medication adherence improvements.
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Who’s Driving the Growth of Medicare Advantage Plans?
June 9th 2021In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with a coauthor of an article in June’s Health Affairs examining the racial and ethnic composition of beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans and the potential implications as the program continues to grow.
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ASCO’s Dr Lori Pierce on Equity in Cancer Care: “History Has Its Eyes on Us”
June 5th 2021Equality in cancer care is not sufficient, said Lori Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, a radiation oncologist from the University of Michigan and president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Equity—which means that patients have similar outcomes, regardless of circumstance—is harder to achieve.
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Population-Based Return on Investment of Deploying Transient Elastography
Deploying vibration-controlled transient elastography/controlled attenuation parameter devices at the population level is a financially advantageous solution to address the epidemic of fatty liver disease.
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Significant HCRU and Cost Burden for Patients With AML Who Relapse
May 26th 2021Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who relapse after first-line treatment face a substantial health care resource utilization (HCRU) and cost burden, according to a poster presented at Virtual ISPOR 2021.
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Matters in Managed Care: Bringing Equity at Birth, Part 8
May 21st 2021In the April Matters in Managed Care webinar, leaders from Anthem and a partner of Anthem’s Doula Pilot Program in California discuss how a health plan can take an active role in reducing disparities in maternity mortality, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a growing health concern in the United States.
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Matters in Managed Care: Bringing Equity at Birth, Part 7
May 21st 2021In the April Matters in Managed Care webinar, leaders from Anthem and a partner of Anthem’s Doula Pilot Program in California discuss how a health plan can take an active role in reducing disparities in maternity mortality, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a growing health concern in the United States.
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Matters in Managed Care: Bringing Equity at Birth, Part 6
May 21st 2021In the April Matters in Managed Care webinar, leaders from Anthem and a partner of Anthem’s Doula Pilot Program in California discuss how a health plan can take an active role in reducing disparities in maternity mortality, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a growing health concern in the United States.
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