Insights From Top 5 AJMC.com Contributor Articles of 2017

Contributors to AJMC.com delved into data to share their knowledge about important topics in managed care, and in 2017, these were the top 5 most-read articles they wrote and published on our online managed care network. Subjects included an examination of private claims data and Lyme disease; new trends in colon cancer screening to increase compliance and improve patient health; interpreting Medicare Shared Services Program data; understanding the new Oncology Care Model; and a coming paradigm shift in managing type 2 diabetes.

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5. A Window Into Lyme Disease Using Private Claims Data

Cases of Lyme disease surged from 1995 to 2015, and to understand more about the rise, contributor Robin Gelburd, JD, studied FAIR Health’s database of more than 23 billion private healthcare claims. She wrote about the evidence of how the disease is affecting the nation’s rural and urban areas differently, how different age cohorts are impacted, where it is spreading and how it correlates with autoimmune disease.

Read the article.

4. Driving Value With Innovative Approaches to Colon Cancer Screening

Preventive care services, such as cancer screenings, are known to improve outcomes for patients and deliver long-term gains for health plan members. Although national guidelines call for men and women at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) to begin screening at age 50, by some estimates, compliance is a mere 38%, as the preparation involved makes it unwelcome for many. Health insurance executive Jim Thompson wrote about newer, less-invasive screening options and the action that is being taken to increase access to these tests.

Read the article.

3. CMS Releases Medicare Shared Savings Program 2016 Results

Travis Broome and Farzad Mostashari, MD, both of healthcare information technology startup firm Aledade, interpreted 2016 CMS data on the Medicare Shared Savings Program. They said the information proves that patience pays off, savings don't have to happen at the expense of quality, and that physician-led accountable care organizations are more successful.

Read the article.

2. Nine Months in: Understanding the Oncology Care Model

Jessica Walradt from the Association of American Medical Colleges and Kelly Price, vice president and chief of healthcare data analytics at DataGen, looked at why practices are participating in the Oncology Care Model, a Medicare pilot that seeks to change the way cancer care is provided and reimbursed in the United States. They also shared the challenges practices have faced over the past 9 months.

Read the article.

1. Type 2 Diabetes: Changing the Paradigm From Management to Reversal

Results from the first 70 days of the Virta Clinic trial suggested the historic dietary approach to management of type 2 diabetes has been all wrong, according to contributor Sarah Hallberg, DO, MS. She wrote that the trial would add to compelling evidence that diabetes can be reversed while reducing medication and without risk, cost, or side effects of bariatric surgery and that reversal can happen in a large percentage of patients, not only in outliers.

Read the article.