Giuliana Grossi

While individual interventions have become popular among employers to enhance workplace well-being, a new study shows interventions may have to take place on an organizational level to be effective.

David Adamson, MD, founder and CEO of ARC Fertility, discusses how physicians should consider moral and ethical variations of patients when adhering to professional guidelines in fertility care.

“These autosomal diseases, from an inheritance standpoint, affect men and women equally, but because of their impact on the gynecological system and menses, women are often affected much more than men," hematologist Donna DiMichele, MD, explains.

The Center on Health Equity and Access delivers current news, highlights research advancements, and continuous initiatives focused on addressing health care disparities and improving overall accessibility to exceptional care.

"It’s time for our industry to recognize the consequences of the lack of investment in maternal health and come together to bring forward innovations," Charlotte Owens, MD, stated.

The top articles of 2023 addressed key issues such as representation gaps in aRCC research, concerns about the 340B program's impact on asthma disparities, slow adoption of equity innovations, potential biases in type 2 diabetes risk models, and addressing disparities in psoriasis treatment based on race and culture.

Employers, recognized as pivotal contributors to health equity, are urged to prioritize equitable benefits, address the complexity of health plans, and engage in education, data-driven interventions, and systematic measurements to comprehensively improve outcomes for diverse employee populations.

“Unfortunately, limited access to these therapies worldwide appears to be a major challenge,” the researchers wrote.

Key highlights from SLEEP 2023: long COVID-19's impact on sleep, racial disparities in sleep health, idiopathic hypersomnia prevalence, disrupted nighttime sleep's link to narcolepsy in children, and the ease of transitioning to lower-sodium oxybate in narcolepsy treatment while maintaining effectiveness.

The Center on Health Equity and Access offers updates on recent news, breakthroughs in research, and ongoing initiatives aimed at tackling health care disparities and enhancing overall access to top-notch care.

"From a health benefit standpoint, specifically, the employees have to be able to access care, they have to be able to afford the care that they are going to receive, and the benefits also have to be relevant to employees," Bruce Sherman, MD explains.

The results indicated that a substantial proportion of patients, particularly in rural, less educated, and elderly demographics, are insufficiently informed about novel MM treatments, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies and bispecific antibody alternatives.

While past studies have shown the connection between poor sleep and job performance, this research dives deeper into the experience of this specific population.

New results from the Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) identified a significant association between sleep duration and all-cause mortality among individuals grappling with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The Center on Health Equity and Access provides information on the latest news, research discoveries, and initiatives dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities and improving overall access to high-quality care.

Authors highlight key aspects of the California Cancer Care Equity Act, including its focus on Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the requirement for managed care plans to contract with specialized cancer centers, and the definition of complex cancers.

Spanning 22 studies, the analysis illuminated housing disparities, occupational hazards, unequal health care access, economic inequality, and discriminatory industry practices and how they collectively contribute to heightened lung cancer risks.

The Obesity Action Coalition and other organizations are urging the FDA to address critical gaps in drug testing, emphasizing the need for specific testing in individuals with obesity to ensure safety and efficacy, as current practices expose this population to unnecessary risks.

The initiative emphasizes equal partnerships between research institutions and community organizations.

The Center on Health Equity and Access highlights the most recent updates in the realm of health equity, including news, research findings, and initiatives focused on mitigating health care disparities and enhancing overall access to quality care.

Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, addresses the role of the gene variant APOE4 in Alzheimer disease and dementia, noting its influence on risk factors and the significance of early diagnosis for effective intervention across all racial groups.

Findings show breathing sounds recorded by smartphones during sleep at home can reliably identify obstructive sleep apnea, presenting an innovative and accessible alternative to traditional in-laboratory polysomnography.

Jeffrey Sippel, MD, MPH, addresses the increasing denial of insurance claims for non-invasive ventilators (NIV) in Medicare Advantage plans, particularly impacting ALS patients, emphasizing the time crunch on patients, and criticizing the financial focus over patients' well-being.

In a trial assessing subcutaneous OCTA101 in patients with severe hemophilia A, promising results in pharmacokinetics and efficacy were overshadowed by safety concerns.

Jeffrey Sippel, MD, MPH, discusses the trend of insurance claim denials related to non-invasive ventilators for patients with ALS.

The Center on Health Equity and Access spotlights the latest health equity news, research, and initiatives to reduce health care disparities and improve access to care.

Postmenopausal women experienced more severe effects, with a 20.1% increase in insulin resistance, according to the findings.

Due to the frequent rejection of claims for noninvasive ventilators by Medicare Advantage plans, individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are experiencing disproportionately high rates of hospital admissions.

New research highlights racial disparities in hemophilia care, revealing that Black and Hispanic patients are significantly less likely to receive immune tolerance induction treatment compared with White patients, even after considering clinical factors.