Policy

This year’s most-read articles on Medicare covered topics including accountable care organizations, value-based payment, and star ratings.

Although 2021 closes with a plentiful supply of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, Americans continue to face challenges with the widespread Omicron variant and new testing hurdles.

COVID-19 at-home test kits are in short supply; 2021 is on track to surpass 2020's death toll; hospitals report patient surges.

In an interview conducted before the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant began driving another wave of infections, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FASTMH, discussed the struggle public health officials and scientists have in fighting false beliefs about vaccinations.

The editors of The American Journal of Managed Care® and The American Journal of Accountable Care® reflect on the past year and discuss the themes and topics they expect to see in 2022.

This year's most-viewed content in infectious disease was dominated by COVID-19, as the Delta variant continued to strain the US health care system. It also included news about Clostridioides difficile.

Vertical integration of payers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) took flight with the mergers of Aetna and CVS Health and of Cigna and ExpressScripts. Panelists at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® said the shift has filtered down to affect access at the practice level.

The discussion, "Remote Patient Monitoring: Case Studies From the Front Lines,” explored real-world experiences with technology that has taken on greater heft as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect health care delivery.

Stacy Courtnay is the community network chair for the Arthritis Foundation in Atlanta highlights a report that discusses how understanding patient experiences in RA can shift questions researchers ask.

Two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have reduced efficacy against the Omicron variant; a federal appeals court reinstates the Biden administration’s health care worker vaccine mandate in 26 states; a new combination therapy may reduce breast cancer progression.

Megan Olsen, MPH, principal at Avalere, discusses how the impact of small patient populations and other limitations may influence payer conversations about gene and cell therapies.

Next Gen ACO recently re-branded as the Value Based Care Coalition. To learn more about the organization's new phase, we spoke with executive director Mara McDermott.

Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine may only have 22.5% efficacy against the Omicron variant; as of 2018, less than 16% of orthopedic specialists are people of color; a mask mandate for stores and indoor spaces in New York state went into effect.

The Supreme Court will allow a challenge to Texas' controversial abortion law; the FDA broadens booster eligibility for teens; Kentucky declares an emergency over nurse shortages.

The CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report details the care and HIV service disparities that persist among sexual minority men.

This article describes the Philadelphia Medicaid Opioid Prescribing Initiative that was launched by a multidisciplinary team and mailed local Medicaid providers individualized prescribing report cards.

Pfizer predicts that a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine may be needed to quell the Omicron variant; CMS officials share figures on enrollment for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA); City of Hope announces acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Hospitals reported widespread adoption of quality improvement (QI) changes to improve on CMS quality measures, and QI adoption was associated with improved performance on quality measures.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, guests discuss why pharmacists are in a unique position to help address social determinants of health (SDOH) and the importance of incorporating patients’ perspectives into research agendas.

Misinformation about flu vaccines must be dealt with immediately, according to Leslie Kantor, PhD, MPH, chair and professor of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health.

New data suggest more children are being diagnosed with autism in the United States; Biden pushes for coverage of at-home COVID-19 tests; different pollutants may affect the ratio of boys to girls born.

The authors of this study examined expense reports to understand how participants in Medicare’s Accountable Care Organization Investment Model spent to achieve program goals.

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.

The White House will invest $1.5 billion to bolster the nation's health care workforce; new data reveal long-term Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in children; Idaho deactivates crisis standards of care for some portions of the state.

The different approaches to setting benchmarks for population-based payment models (empirical, bidding based, and administratively set) have unique advantages and challenges.

CMS' introduction of 3 new electronic clinical quality measures, 2 of which are focused on inpatient glycemic management, signal a strong commitment to shine a light on this often-overlooked area, according to the chief medical officer at Glytec.

Although acute promyelocytic leukemia is highly treatable in early stages, the medication needed stop hematologic emergencies, all-trans retinoic acid, is often not available, a new study says.

The FDA decision was followed by a CDC advisory panel meeting Friday, and as expected, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, who has spoken in favor of booster shots, signed off on the plan.