Christina Mattina

In 2025, each issue of Population Health, Equity & Outcomes will feature a profile of a health system leader transforming care in their area of expertise. This issue spotlights a conversation with Ken Cohen, MD, executive director of translational research at Optum Health.

Sessions and posters at the 2025 European Hematology Association Congress evaluated the potential and real-world practices of using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and improve outcomes for patients with hematological diseases.

The late-breaking abstracts presented on the last day of the 2025 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress show “what a vibrant clinical specialty we’re in,” according to session cochair Brian Huntly, PhD.

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with hematological diseases have unique needs that require a multidisciplinary strategy to ensure their mental and sexual well-being during and beyond treatment, clinicians and patients agreed.

Abstracts presented during the plenary session of the 2025 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress spanned from novel drug regimens for myeloma and lymphoma to investigation of leukemias on the molecular and genetic levels.

Our knowledge of the effects of space and low gravity on blood cells, clotting, and anemia continues to expand, but further research is needed as commercial spaceflights are poised to grow in popularity.

A combination of acalabrutinib and venetoclax showed better results with the addition of obinutuzumab, whereas mixed findings in a cross-trial comparison were complicated by the inclusion of deaths related to COVID-19.

Skepticism still persists around the use of measurable residual disease (MRD) for clinical and regulatory decision-making in the European context, but panelists explained the next steps that are required to advance the use of MRD.

The 2025 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress, convening virtually and in Milan, Italy, from June 12 to June 15, 2025, will feature a revamped program structure for the meeting’s 30th anniversary while maintaining ample opportunities to network, debate, and absorb practice-changing findings in hematology and oncology.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), each issue in 2025 includes a special feature: reflections from a thought leader on what has changed—and what has not—over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The June issue features a conversation with Melinda B. Buntin, PhD, a health economist and a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Carey Business School.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), each issue in 2025 includes reflections from a thought leader on what has changed over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The May issue features a conversation with John Michael O’Brien, PharmD, MPH, a member of AJMC’s editorial board and the president and CEO of the National Pharmaceutical Council. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Improving relationships between pharmaceutical makers, health systems, patients, and insurers can help to lower the price of health care for patients, according to John Michael O'Brien, PharmD, MPH.

Nipocalimab (Imaavy; Johnson & Johnson), an FcRn-blocking monoclonal antibody, was approved for patients 12 years and older with generalized myasthenia gravis based on data from the ongoing Vivacity-MG3 study.

Addressing the issues surrounding pharmacy benefit managers and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) would help to curb health care costs for patients, said John M. O'Brien, PharmD, MPH, president and CEO of the National Pharmaceutical Council.

Managed care will continue to evolve and employers and policy makers have a responsibility to understand how to best serve their patients, according to John Michael O'Brien, PharmD, MPH.

John Michael O'Brien, PharmD, MPH, discussed the changes in managed care over the past 30 years to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care®.

Accountable 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.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), each issue in 2025 will include a special feature: reflections from a thought leader on what has changed—and what has not—over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The April issue features a conversation with Hoangmai H. Pham, MD, MPH, a member of AJMC’s editorial board and the president and CEO of the Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC).

Speakers from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) highlighted 75 years of progress in understanding and treating neuromuscular diseases but also raised concerns about how potential funding cuts could impact this community.

Delivery of onasemnogene abeparvovec into the intrathecal space was safe and effective for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) aged 2 to 17 years, who had previously been shut out of receiving gene therapy.

Tenacious efforts at every level, from the individual clinician to the hospital to the state to Congress, will be needed to make sure patients can access life-saving gene therapies for neuromuscular diseases.

Data from the EMBARK trial of delandistrogene moxeparvovec in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) show that benefits in functional outcomes, gene expression, and muscle imaging persist 2 years after receiving the gene therapy.

Posters presented at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical & Scientific Conference show that therapeutic advances in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are not uniformly making it into the hands of patients who could benefit.

The rapid development of gene therapy options for treating neuromuscular diseases has created new therapeutic options but also logistical hurdles and a need for complex discussions between clinicians and families.

Learning from examples like congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis can help health systems and clinicians prepare to care for an influx of patients with neuromuscular diseases as they reach adulthood thanks to transformative therapy advances.

Robert Califf, MD, former commissioner of the FDA, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference that highlighted the enormous opportunities for progress in neuromuscular disease care amid a changing policy environment.

Mehmet Oz, MD, the nominee to lead CMS under the Trump administration, testified in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, where he found common ground on improving outcomes through healthier lifestyle choices but encountered repeated questions on potential Medicaid cuts.

The 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference, convening in Dallas, Texas, from March 16-18, will feature clinical updates, expert insights, and breaking trial findings that sum up to a new frontier of care for neuromuscular diseases.

On December 10, 2024, cardiologists, researchers, and value-based care experts gathered in Dallas, Texas, to discuss best practices for implementing advances in cardiology care with a value-based mindset, spanning the care continuum from prevention to treatment.

Speakers at the 2025 Value-Based Insurance Design summit recapped the accomplishments made over the past 20 years in designing insurance benefits with value in mind and looked ahead to iterations to come.