- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: Air Pollution Affects Minorities; Pfizer to Test Coronavirus Vaccine; New Liquid Biopsy Shows Promise
Racial disparities are a leading factor in the impact of pollution on concentrated populations; Pfizer could begin initial testing of its coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week; study results of a new liquid biopsy point to the ability to detect cancers before they have spread.
Exposure to Long-term Air Pollution Concentrated in Minority Communities
Using the West Coast as a prime example, Forbes reports on how the over 14 million people of color (Hispanics, Asians, American Indian/Alaska Natives, African Americans) who live there are disproportionately affected by long-term air pollution. Children can be especially hard hit in these areas because of interference with their lung development. In its latest State of the Air report, the American Lung Association points to such contributing factors as low income levels, persistent racial segregation, and areas with greater pollution exposure tend to have higher populations of African Americans.
Pfizer Joins the Fray to Put Out a Coronavirus Vaccine
Pfizer is the newest entrant in the race to test and put out to market a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, joining Oxford University, Moderna Inc, and Johnson & Johnson, according to The Wall Street Journal. The vaccine’s mechanism of action is based on messenger RNA. Despite facing such daunting statistics as a mere 6% chance of actually making it to market and the quick spread of the virus, researchers are being assisted by the myriad of ongoing research on the virus and numerous vaccine-making technologies. Pfizer is working with BioNTech SE from Germany, where testing has already begun, to develop the vaccine, with hopes to commence emergency distribution in the fall.
Are Liquid Biopsies the Future of Earlier Cancer Detection?
In research presented this week at the American Academy of Cancer Research’s annual meeting, Thrive Earlier Detection presented its exploratory study results showing the promise of a new liquid biopsy at detecting cancers earlier than ever before, notes Biopharma Dive. The study looked at the new test’s effectiveness among 10,000 patients, all seemingly healthy. With these data, Thrive joins rival GRAIL in the race to alter the landscape of cancer detection offerings, both hoping their blood tests will become part of such standard cancer screenings as mammograms and colonoscopies.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
Read More
New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
Listen
Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
Listen
ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
Read More
