Health Care Delivery

Patients have to always come first, and technology can enhance their care experience, stated Anne Marie F. Rainey, MSN, RN, CHC, director of quality and value-based care at Clearview Cancer Institute.

On day 1 of this year’s Association of Community Cancer Centers’ (ACCC) National Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® sat down for a conversation with David Penberthy, MD, MBA, ACCC’s president for the 2022-2023 term, and his brother Scott Penberthy, PhD, MS, director, Applied AI, Office of the CTO, at Google.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As with many medical meetings, some of the presentations from the annual American College of Chest Physicians event will be livestreamed or on demand for later viewing, but the organizers have stressed the importance of coming together for the first time since 2019.

CHEST 2022 is being held in Nashville, Tennessee, beginning October 16, and Subani Chandra, MD, FCCP, the chair of the Scientific Program Committee, discusses why meeting in real life as opposed to virtually is energizing, even if medical conferences are hectic.

Investigators for this study analyzed outcomes among patients hospitalized with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who have higher risks of adverse health outcomes, in particular sepsis and septic shock.

Approximately 1 in 10 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) experienced complications related to surgery for HS management, in which extensive resection, using skin flaps or skin grafts as a closure method, was associated with a higher incidence of complications.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric heart transplant waiting list times was evaluated in this new study that used data from the United Network for Organ Sharing.

The annual fall meeting of AMCP Nexus 2022 will feature a keynote from one of the top physician-executives in health care, the specialty pharmaceutical pipeline, and insights for managed care stakeholders in selecting and integrating cost-effective, value-based care frameworks.

Continuing the race adjustment factors maintains health care disparities, the authors noted.

The effect of dupilumab was investigated among patients with severe and uncontrolled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

The question of whether bone erosion is a feature of Jaccoud arthropathy has remained controversial among persons who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, addressed gaps in research for home health care and progress toward the development of a discharge decision support tool for clinicians.

Patients with Parkinson disease are significantly more likely to experience fractures than the general population, with severity of the disease shown to be linearly associated with risk.

Electrochemotherapy in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) was evaluated for its utilization practicality, efficacy, and safety, as well as factors that may predict disease response to the treatment.

This study found that the recent change to remove race from the calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) may incorrectly label potential donors who are Black as having chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Athena Gierbolini, president of Hope for HS, a nonprofit advocacy group for those affected by hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), discussed several pressing issues that warrant consideration to improve the care management of HS.

Based on their findings, the researchers are emphasizing the importance of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving a booster vaccination, as well as other mitigation strategies, such as social distancing and wearing face masks.