Drs Chitre and Weaver explore social and health care disparities more prominently affecting various MDD patient populations.
Jay Weaver, PharmD, MPH: As we looked across our populations most affected by disparities of care in major depressive disorder, we noticed that 1 population had more isolation and maybe more limited access to care: persons of Medicare age. Some of our older populations have fewer people in their home or fewer people to care for them. That was 1 group that we noticed had some challenges. As we spoke about before, people of color also presented with especially big challenges in getting access to care and seeking care. The third population that we noticed had fewer specialized services available to them were some of our LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning] populations. They had a lack of specialized services for some of the things that they’re dealing with as they’re seeking health care services and finding people who can relate to their needs.
Mona Chitre, PharmD, CGP: I agree with Dr Weaver. There are a number of populations that have different and pronounced effects because they have different types of diagnosis, lack of access, and no clear treatment plan. There are differences in how they may be treated. I agree with Dr Weaver’s comments. The Black and brown populations, our pediatric patients, and sometimes our female patients all have disparities. We’re always looking at that from both a population perspective and a health plan perspective, ensuring equal treatment and trying to close some of those disparities.
Transcript edited for clarity.
Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach
May 9th 2024In the series debut episode of "Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity," Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Listen
Study Highlights Significant Increases in Utilization, Spending on DMD Drugs in Medicaid
May 17th 2024The findings add to recent research on the growing utilization, expenditure, and prices of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapies in the current landscape, an area health care policy could potentially address.
Read More