Health Care Delivery

It has been 3 years since new kidney care payment models were announced by HHS, and at a session at Kidney Week 2022, the associate division director of nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham described his organization’s participation in Kidney Care First, one of the value-based care models announced in 2019.

Jen Gunter, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist, author, and specialist in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders, spoke on the change in perspective regarding the medical and scientific community's role in dispelling health care misinformation on social media and in the press.

Jennifer Green, MD, professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, member of Duke Clinical Research Institute, and EMPA-KIDNEY collaborator, discussed findings of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial presented at Kidney Week 2022, which showed a 28% improvement for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on empagliflozin, whether in reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease or progression of CKD.

With no sign that medical misinformation is going away, a session at Kidney Week 2022 delved into how nephrologists and researchers can educate and inform the public.

A study presented at Kidney Week 2022 examined the effect of combining diet coaching with financial assistance for Black adults with hypertension and advanced chronic kidney disease.

Brent W. Miller, MD, board certified nephrologist and professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, discussed new and emerging technologies for at-home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, as well as efforts that have been made to address uptake issues for patients with kidney disease.

Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, reduced the risk of death or worsening progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by 28%, according to results published Friday at Kidney Week 2022.

A poster presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 showed that patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), who had Medicare Advantage Part D coverage or were enrolled in a commercial health plan were associated with significantly greater health care resource utilization, including emergency department and inpatient visits, compared with those without rCDI.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of Dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on challenges in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), as well as promising therapies in the pipeline that target specific pathways suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease.

Two data sets from patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) show the benefits of macitentan (Opsumit) monotherapy despite guidelines calling for combination therapy, even among patients with World Health Organizational functional class I-II disease.

Physicians and scientists are worried about the future pandemic preparedness, and the reasons why are largely due to social and political influences, according to a keynote speech and panel discussion on the first day of Kidney Week 2022.

The findings suggest telenursing between in-person visits may help reduce distress related to symptoms in patients who have lung cancer.

A poster presented at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 shows that patients with intermediate Parkinson disease place a significant resource burden on the US health care system in regard to treatment, emergency department visits, and admissions to rehabilitation centers.

Jim H. Rhodes, deputy county administrator, Camden County, New Jersey, spoke on how his organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has aided their value-based initiatives in improving health equity in the region.

Emergency department (ED) readmission was more common than dermatology follow-up among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) within 30 and 180 days of initially presenting to the ED, with patients with Medicaid coverage and those who had an opioid prescribed were more likely to return.

Only 18% of US adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 26% of adults at risk for CVD use wearable health devices.

Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for the 2021-2022 term, discussed the major focuses and breakthroughs in nephrology to be presented at Kidney Week 2022, which include novel treatments for common and rare kidney diseases, as well as efforts to address disparities for transplant and care access.

A significant uptick in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) among patients with comorbid asthma has been seen in the country over the past decade.

The program, serving patients from rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology, allergy, and cardiology clinics, is the first of its kind within the Veterans Health Administration, researchers said.

Patients with young-onset Parkinson disease experience significant emotional burden that is exacerbated by unmet educational needs.

It is unclear what role treatment plays in affecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk, the authors found.

Exclusions from Medicaid eligibility based on immigration status may be linked with increased health care disparities among immigrant women compared with US-born women, a study suggested.

This investigation compared the histologic features of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) between organ transplant recipients and the general population.

Making value-based payment models work in cancer care requires close attention to the financial and quality measures and a commitment to culture change, said experts gathered October 25 at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

In an interview, the section chief of hepatology at Rush University Medical Center discussed why the addition of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis code K76.82 is necessary.

Panelists who have reviewed the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) say it puts additional requirements on practices with reduced monthly payments, and its risk modeling could put a small practice out of business.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, discussed how prior authorizations and other insurance requirements are limiting treatment access in atopic dermatitis and how dermatologists can help ameliorate these approval issues.

Athena Gierbolini, president of Hope for HS, a nonprofit advocacy group for those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), spoke on common stigmas regarding HS and how clinicians can improve consultation through a culturally sensitive approach.

Dupilumab exhibited similarly significant and sustained improvements in atopic dermatitis (AD) signs, symptoms, and quality of life of adult patients with moderate to severe AD, regardless of age of disease onset, compared with placebo.

Improved outcomes associated with fidaxomicin compared with vancomycin suggest benefits from its greater use in Medicare patients, although uptake remains low despite its recommended use.