AJMC® in the Press, March 10, 2017

The results of a case study in the March issue of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management™ were summarized in an article on PatientEngagementHIT.com. “Making Diabetes Self-Management Education Patient-Centered: Results From a North Carolina Program” detailed a 4-step approach to patient engagement that resulted in improved glycemic control. “The program’s success highlights the importance of patient education, behavior change, and patient feedback in supporting chronic disease management,” the summary article explained.

An article on Healio’s Ocular Surgery News site encouraging ophthalmologists to pursue business education cited a commentary in the June 2016 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) titled “When Doctors Go to Business School: Career Choices of Physician-MBAs.” The authors found that physicians who earn a Master of Business Administration degree often “divert their primary professional focus away from clinical activity.” According to the Healio article, that finding is likely due to the wider range of opportunities and leadership positions made possible with a business degree.

Tuesday’s e-mail newsletter from OBR Daily featured an AJMC^® contributor piece in its Oncology Business & Policy News Headlines section. Authored by contributor Kelly Price, “The Oncology Care Model: What to Expect in the First Data Feed” outlined what participants in this new alternative payment model will likely see when the first performance data is released later in March. Price explained that practitioners should keep an open mind and “be ready to reassess and modify their approaches” in response to the information.

Also on Tuesday, the National Pharmaceutical Council’s daily e-newsletter highlighted an AJMC^® newsroom article, “VBID Benefit Helps Patients Maintain Adherence After Switch to High-Deductible Plan.” The story discussed recent research on the effectiveness of a value-based insurance design (VBID) benefit among enrollees who were switched to a high-deductible plan. “After the switch to the deductible plan, adherence among the patients without the VBID benefit dropped from 76.1% to 73.8%, while adherence remained steady among those with the VBID benefit,” the article stated.