AJMC® in the Press, December 8, 2017

CVS Health made headlines this week following the announcement that it will take over Aetna. The partnership has voiced its vision of reshaping healthcare by creating a community-based health model, according to an article in Modern Healthcare. The article, which put a focus on lower costs of care in retail clinics, highlighted a peer-reviewed study published in The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®). The study, “Quality of Care at Retail Clinics for 3 Common Conditions,” found that the quality of care for minor ailments from MinuteClinics in CVS pharmacies was equal to or better than care offered from ambulatory-care facilities and emergency departments.

An article in Healio on cardiovascular screenings highlighted an AJMC^® peer-reviewed study from our November issue when discussing trends following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The study, “Changes in Cardiovascular Care Provision After the Affordable Care Act,” found that screening for cardiovascular risks such as diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure increased after the ACA was enacted. The study also found that men were more likely than women to be prescribed aspirin as preventive therapy.

The National Pharmaceutical Council’s Wednesday CER Daily Newsfeed included an AJMC^® article on the effects of filgrastim and its biosimilar filgrastim-sndz. The article, “Filgrastim and biosimilar filgrastim-sndz Equally Efficient in Preventing Febrile Neutropenia,” found that there were no significant differences between the biosimilar and its reference biologic in the prevention of febrile neutropenia events that require hospitalization. However, noninferiority could not be established for serious adverse events.

A new peer-reviewed study published this week in AJMC^® was mentioned in Science Daily’s article on money-saving plans doing little to curb spending on unnecessary medical services. While reporting findings that consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) have little to no effect on curbing spending on 26 services deemed low value, the article referenced the study, “Impact of Consumer-Directed Health Plans on Low-Value Healthcare.” The study found that switching to CDHPs did not reduce spending on low-value healthcare services, and CDHPs may encourage patients to curb spending indiscriminately rather than specifically reducing low-value services.