Brooke McCormick

Despite a surge in telemental health use after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, minority racial/ethnic group children had lower utilization rates than White children, according to Xin Hu, PhD, MSPH.

Older, generic medications, including ones for cyclosporine, nicotinamide, and dapsone, can effectively treat patients with various dermatological conditions while helping to reduce insurance and cost barriers.

A dietary fiber intake between 14.4 and 26.7 g reduced the risk of osteoarthritis, but an intake above this dose was not significantly protective.

Two posters presented at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting reaffirmed the impact of ruxolitinib cream (Opzelura; Incyte) in atopic dermatitis (AD), while late-breaking research highlighted its potential efficacy in prurigo nodularis (PN).

Amid limited access to pediatric dermatologists nationwide, pediatric patients of color with atopic dermatitis (AD) are particularly affected by social determinants of health, further impacting their outcomes.

Martina Cartwright, PhD, RD, and Lawrence J. Green, MD, FAAD, both recommend the Mediterranean diet to reduce inflammation and manage some dermatological symptoms.

Thy N. Huynh, MD, FAAD, Bruce A. Brod, MHCI, MD, FAAD, and Melissa Piliang, MD, FAAD, discussed expanding access to pediatric dermatology, dermatology data aggregation, and advocacy for Medicare physician payment reform, respectively.

Optimizing telehealth during public health emergencies to minimize in-person appointments puts less burden on patients and may lead to better outcomes, according to Chun Chao, PhD, MS, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

A study investigated the incidence of postoperative urinary tract infections (UTIs) in patients undergoing spinal fusion for deformities, finding that patients with more than 12 levels fused had the highest UTI rates.

The 2025 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting introduces over 50 new sessions and debuts an opening ceremony, featuring a fireside chat with lifestyle expert and entrepreneur Martha Stewart.

Rebecca Haberman, MD, of NYU Langone Health, highlights precision medicine and potential prevention strategies, two areas of promising psoriatic arthritis research.

These findings may not be generalizable to uninsured patients with ovarian cancer, who face unique barriers to care compared with insured patients.

With the potential for future pandemics, Chun Chao, PhD, MS, emphasizes the importance of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on cancer care, particularly for patients with ovarian cancer.

Andrew S. Oseran, MD, MBA, MSc, hypothesizes that higher Medicare Advantage (MA) risk scores may result from either a more accurate capture of beneficiaries' comorbidities or inappropriate "upcoding" of conditions.

An extensive library of physical activity resources will better support the different needs, capabilities, and considerations of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the researchers.

The excess payments Medicare Advantage plans receive for higher risk scores may be more influenced by differences in coding practices rather than actual differences in disease burden between MA and fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, according to Andrew, S. Oseran, MD, MBA, MSc, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, with fixed payments based on medical complexity, incentivize aggressive coding of comorbidities, potentially inflating costs for the federal government, according to Andrew S. Oseran, MD, MBA, MSc, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Of the surveyed physicians, 93% reported that prior authorization delays patient care, and 89% said it contributes to burnout.

These findings support the claim that Medicare Advantage (MA) payments may be driven more by diagnosis and coding practices rather than differences in disease burden between MA and fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries.

Higher telemedicine adoption among Medicare beneficiaries was associated with a slight increase in total visits but a reduction in certain low-value tests and related spending.

The rising frequency of natural disasters due to climate change could make health plans more susceptible to significant negative effects, according to Maria DeYoreo, PhD, of RAND Corporation.

Although her recent study acknowledges potential differences between White and non-White patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Rebecca Haberman, MD, NYU Langone Health, emphasizes the need for further research to understand what these differences are and why they occur.

The study found no evidence that geographically limited disasters significantly reduced annual quality performance scores, highlighting the resilience of these programs.

President Donald J. Trump pushed for significant health care changes during his first month back in office, through executive orders affecting managed care, drug pricing, and clinical trial diversity guidance.

The comparable rates of remission pre- and post-pandemic suggest that COVID-19 did not negatively impact the outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer.

Recognizing psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in non-White patients is the first step toward providing more equitable care for those of all backgrounds with PsA, according to Rebecca Haberman, MD, of NYU Langone Health.

The study aimed to assess the effect of localized disasters on health plan quality performance scores, according to lead investigator Maria DeYoreo, PhD, of RAND Corporation.

In patients with early-stage ovarian cancer, a high prognostic nutritional index improved survival, while a high systemic immune-inflammation index worsened it. In advanced stages, both affected overall survival but not progression-free survival.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.

Although psoriatic arthritis may be more prevalent in White patients, Rebecca Haberman, MD, of NYU Langone Health, emphasizes that the disease affects those across diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.