Laura Joszt, MA

As new treatments come to market that have a substantial impact on diseases, or even cure them, the healthcare system is facing the challenge of how to value these treatments. A panel of experts highlighted what evidence there needs to be, methods of valuing therapies, and the ethical implications of having cures.

Posters presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 23rd Annual International Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, highlighted healthcare costs for patients with treatment-resistant depression, off-label drug use in children with depressive disorder, and incidence of depression in patients diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

A phase III randomized trial, with results being presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, found the addition of nelarabine to standard chemotherapy regimen in patients with T-cell malignancies can improve disease-free survival rates.

While technology continues to improve, healthcare has not always been quick to keep up with changes. Panelists at The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Accountable Care Delivery Congress highlight the ways their organizations are using technology to improve care.

So far, the move to accountable care has been promising, but more needs to be done to encourage providers into risk, said panelists at The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Accountable Care Delivery Congress.

Employers may be intimidated by the idea of purchasing healthcare, but they are getting more involved in it and they are in a position to transform the market and promote value-based care, said Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform, during her keynote at The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Accountable Care Delivery Congress.

Since its inception, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has implemented 37 models testing healthcare delivery and payment reform. A new Goverment Accountability Office assessment found that CMMI has partially met goals for performance targets.

Surveys collected as part of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index found that the uninsured rate increased significantly in 17 states from 2016 to 2017. At the same time, no states reported statistically significant decreases in the uninsured rate. This is the first time since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act that states have reported increases in the uninsured rate.

The FDA has approved daratumumab in combination with bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone to treat patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant.

Two posters presented at the American Psychiatric Association's 2018 Annual Meeting examined the factors patients with schizophrenia consider when deciding whether or not to take their medications and outcomes of a new medication to treat patients with schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder.

During a workshop, panelists discussed outreach efforts, including Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, known as Project ECHO, to deliver psychiatric care to underserved patients in the United States and Canada.

Posters presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2018 Annual Meeting highlight methods of treating patients with substance use disorder.

Mental health disorders are both a cause and a consequence of social determinants of health, and providing integrated care that addresses issues outside of the health system will require work at multiple levels, including clinical, policy, and finance, explained Benjamin G. Druss, MD, of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Farzad Mostashari, MD, of Aledade, and Richard Gilfillan, MD, of Trinity Health, highlight the successes of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and how they've impacted care across the healthcare system, and offered suggestions for improving the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-enabled devices are already making their way into the market and should be able to help make meaning of data in order to improve care delivery, said speakers at the 15th Annual World Health Care Congress.

Tom Price, MD, former HHS secretary, identifies key principles to keep in mind as the political parties move forward with any health policy changes.

At the 15th Annual World Health Care Congress, CMS Administrator Seema Verma highlighted new policies and initiatives from CMS to ensure that programs are delivering high-quality care in a sustainable way as healthcare spending continues to grow at a faster rate than the overall US economy.

A shift in care delivery and the availability of data are helping to make value-based care a reality in the United States, but the change has been taking too long, said panelists at the 15th Annual World Health Care Congress.

Providing advanced home care can help reduce hospital admissions for the elderly, but these programs aren’t easy to get up and running, according to panelists at the spring 2018 conference of the National Association of ACOs.

Researchers have identified a new gene that may predispose individuals to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In addition, variants in the gene can influence patient response to treatment.

There has been a proliferation of wearables from consumer gadgets, like the Fitbit, to medical devices that are approved by the FDA. Here are 5 things about wearable technology being used in healthcare.

There are 3 major components in the 21st Century Cures Act that will fix the technology challenges facing healthcare and accountable care organizations (ACOs), said Don Rucker, national coordinator of health information technology (IT) in HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, at the spring 2018 conference of the National Association of ACOs.

Climate change causes a host of issues that have public health impacts, and states are proactively taking steps to anticipate these health issues and prevent them.

A new tool has been created to measure patient uncertainty to predict which patients might return to the emergency department (ED) after discharge.

A new report suggests ways policy makers can support and advance value-based payment models so payment innovations can catch up to healthcare delivery innovations.

A new blood test could negate the need for bone biopsies to diagnose a variety of cancers, including multiple myeloma. The test uses a small, low-cost plastic chip that delivers the same diagnostic information of a biopsy through a simple blood draw.

Ray Page, DO, PhD, president and director of research at The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and chair-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Clinical Practice Committee discusses the first results of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and ASCO’s top legislative priorities.

Humana has launched a new maternity bundled payment model with 5 practices in Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas to improve quality, outcomes, and cost across the entire perinatal episode of care for women with low- to moderate-risk pregnancies.

With chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy being so new, there is going to be a learning curve as providers become more educated about the treatments, the manufacturing process, and the toxicities, Houston Holmes, MD, MBA, FACP, a medical oncologist with Texas Oncology, explained at the Community Oncology Alliance’s (COA) 2018 Community Oncology Conference.

Divorce and socioeconomic status (SES)—measured by disposable income and education—predict patients who survived a heart attack who are at higher risk of a second event.