Health Care Delivery

British study finds higher immune response when mixing Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with Moderna; World Health Organization strongly advises against the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19; disparities in pay by gender among physicians.

Results of a systemic review found evidence potentially supporting the use of smart phone applications among mothers with gestational diabetes.

Early data suggest the Omicron variant may cause less severe cases of COVID-19; a new JAMA study finds the average young adult overweight; spotlighting vaccine discrimination in Africa.

Peter Dicpinigaitis, MD, professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and director of the Montefiore Cough Center, discusses what he and others have seen during the pandemic in patients with chronic cough who had COVID-19.

Setting up a palliative care consultation program for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) improved some aspects of care.

Multidisciplinary care that includes growth hormone treatment should not cease once patients with Prader-Willi syndrome reach adulthood, according to authors of a study on care outcomes.

Patients with concomitant psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) were shown to be 3.1-fold more likely to achieve complete skin clearance when treated with brodalumab vs ustekinumab after 52 weeks, with further improvements reported for quality of life (QOL).

Next-generation sequencing uncovered 3 subtypes of epidermal growth factor receptor–mutant stage 2 and 3 non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that predicted patient outcomes to adjuvant therapy.

This new study from Finland highlights both the potential for severe psychiatric disturbances among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and lack of extensive knowledge of the toll of psychoses among this group.

More than 1 in 3 patients with atopic dermatitis reported incidence of dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease (DIOSD), with asthma and family history of AD shown to further increase the risk of developing DIOSD.

Results of a retrospective study conducted in China assessed the safety and efficacy of ixazomib for multiple myeloma.

A study examining the relation between rituximab infusion and hospitalization as a result of COVID-19 for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) found that the 2 were not related, contradicting past research.

This commentary describes 4 dimensions of trust that have been illuminated by contributions from leading health care organizations to the ABIM Foundation’s Trust Practices Network.

This new investigation into the use of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for heart failure shows significant benefit in persons with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, hear from a multiple sclerosis (MS) specialist about how millennial patients are different (or not) in how they approach their disease.

A mobile app was shown to be feasible in identifying risk of obstructive sleep apnea and associated symptoms, as well as promoting management recommendations among an outpatient cohort.

The CDC expands its recommendation on booster shots to all adults aged 18 and older amid Omicron variant concerns; a federal judge temporarily blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health workers in 10 states; the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on Mississippi’s landmark abortion case tomorrow.

Patients with concomitant psoriasis, nail psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) exhibited significant improvements in joint and disease severity symptoms, as well as quality of life (QOL) after 3 months of treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) inhibitors of adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab.

President Joe Biden will provide an update today on his administration’s response to the Omicron COVID-19 variant; marked rise in lung transplants for patients with COVID-19 sparks ethical questions; an independent panel of experts will advise FDA tomorrow on the use of Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral pill.

Ian J. Neeland, MD, FACC, FAHA, is co-director of the Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease for University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute and director of the UH Center for Cardiovascular Prevention, in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Here, he explains how sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors can treat metabolic physiologic effects of sleep apnea.

Use of biologics and age may influence risk of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) development in patients with psoriasis, according to findings presented at the 2021 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

Robert J. Hopkin, MD, clinical geneticist, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, details various known and understudied health-related quality-of-life factors in patients with Fabry disease.

Improving clinical care is only one element of the 360-degree, holistic treatment that is necessary to achieve patient equity, not equality, in patients with chronic kidney disease. Biology, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status are 3 areas in which inequities often have a particularly negative impact on a carefully constructed care plan.

The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) recently released its 2021 Report on Affordability. In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the organization about the steps that its payer members are taking to lower costs through offerings such as virtual-first care, remote patient monitoring, and other new products, some of which were created because of the pandemic.

Discussions regarding health equity and access to care have long been implicated in breast cancer. Here, key opinion leaders discuss the latest progress in clinical trial access, digital therapeutics, and other efforts that aim to ameliorate these care gaps.

A new analysis of data from the HOMAGE study addresses previous mixed results on the use of aspirin among patients who may be at risk of heart failure (HF).

Low- and middle-income countries that hosted completed COVID-19 vaccine trials received disproportionately fewer doses than high-income counterparts; mental health apps indicated to increase uptake in underserved men; CDC report finds notable stillbirth risk in pregnant women with COVID-19.

The announcement of a "strategic refresh" for payment models under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation offered no details on what practices should expect when the Oncology Care Model (OCM) expires in 2022.

A report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation confirmed that practices within the US Oncology Network and Tennessee Oncology participating in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) program have contributed significant savings to the agency.

Daniel Greer, PharmD, BCPP, clinical assistant professor, Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, discusses the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first-line treatment for chronic insomnia and barriers limiting its use.