During the introduction to this one-on-one interview series, Arthur Garson, Jr, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Health Policy at the University of Virginia, discusses rates of hospital readmissions following transitions between healthcare settings and highlights a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) program designed to reduce the number of readmissions.
Dr Garson, Jr, reviews the number of unnecessary hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge and notes that nearly 20% of Medicare patients are readmitted.
However, he explains that the number of readmissions has recently decreased due to penalties implemented by a CMS program.
Dr Garson, Jr, emphasizes the importance of implementing programs that target readmissions such as the program designed by the CMS, and suggests that this program represents a step in the right direction toward reducing or preventing unnecessary hospital readmissions.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
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Real-World Data Show Leqvio's Effectiveness in Reducing LDL-C in Patients With ASCVD
April 11th 2024Results from the V-INITIATE trial showed a substantial 60% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline to day 330 in the inclisiran first group compared with a mere 7% reduction in the usual care group.
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