Matthew Gavidia

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of Dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on challenges in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), as well as promising therapies in the pipeline that target specific pathways suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease.

A poster presented at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 shows that patients with intermediate Parkinson disease place a significant resource burden on the US health care system in regard to treatment, emergency department visits, and admissions to rehabilitation centers.

Jim H. Rhodes, deputy county administrator, Camden County, New Jersey, spoke on how his organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has aided their value-based initiatives in improving health equity in the region.

Emergency department (ED) readmission was more common than dermatology follow-up among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) within 30 and 180 days of initially presenting to the ED, with patients with Medicaid coverage and those who had an opioid prescribed were more likely to return.

The FDA has issued a complete response letter to Gilead Sciences, indicating that it cannot approve the company’s first-in-class investigational entry-inhibitor, bulevirtide, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis D virus infection and compensated liver disease.

Michelle DeNault, senior benefit analyst, Wawa, spoke on her organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), specifically how tools provided by the Coalition and the Leapfrog Group have improved hospital price transparency for employers and beneficiaries in seeking value-based care services.

Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for the 2021-2022 term, discussed the major focuses and breakthroughs in nephrology to be presented at Kidney Week 2022, which include novel treatments for common and rare kidney diseases, as well as efforts to address disparities for transplant and care access.

Neil Goldfarb, president and CEO of Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), spoke on the biggest challenges facing GPBCH in advancing health care value, how national organizations are helping drive innovation, and the future role of business coalitions in the health care system.

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, vice president of government affairs at City of Hope and chief clinical adviser of AccessHope in Duarte, California, discusses the recently passed Cancer Care Equity Act in California that provides access to clinical trials and advanced care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Patients with young-onset Parkinson disease experience significant emotional burden that is exacerbated by unmet educational needs.

James Startare, vice president of benefits, Aramark, spoke about the different ways membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has helped his organization.

Neil Goldfarb, president and CEO of Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), discussed his initial motivations for launching a business coalition 10 years ago in the Greater Philadelphia region and what accomplishments GPBCH has had so far in driving health care value.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, discussed how prior authorizations and other insurance requirements are limiting treatment access in atopic dermatitis and how dermatologists can help ameliorate these approval issues.

Athena Gierbolini, president of Hope for HS, a nonprofit advocacy group for those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), spoke on common stigmas regarding HS and how clinicians can improve consultation through a culturally sensitive approach.

Dupilumab exhibited similarly significant and sustained improvements in atopic dermatitis (AD) signs, symptoms, and quality of life of adult patients with moderate to severe AD, regardless of age of disease onset, compared with placebo.

Improved outcomes associated with fidaxomicin compared with vancomycin suggest benefits from its greater use in Medicare patients, although uptake remains low despite its recommended use.

Informal caregivers of people with Parkinson disease residing in the United Kingdom discussed challenges faced in providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included risk of infection, lack of access to care, and the impact of lockdown on engaging in activities of daily living.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, discussed several policy needs for home health care, including improved caregiver support, updated eligibility criteria for in-home care, and reimbursement for telehealth.

Coverage from the Atlanta meeting of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine, chaired by Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, director of pharmacy services, Emory Healthcare and Emory Winship Cancer Institute.

CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that US adults of non-Hispanic Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic race/ethnicity exhibited significantly higher influenza hospitalization rates and lower vaccination coverage compared with White adults.

Featured coverage from the 70th Annual Roy A. Bowers Pharmaceutical Conference, held September 19, 2022. The theme for the 2022 conference was Innovation Through Crisis: Redefining Health Care Delivery.

Compared with Ethiopia’s current nonmandatory hepatitis B vaccination program, expanded vaccination coverage among health care workers was shown to be more cost-effective and result in improved life expectancy gains.

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) from Finland reported a higher incidence rate of cataract surgeries prior to PD diagnosis vs those without the condition, potentially due to other eye diseases and prodromal symptoms of PD.

Researchers reviewed clinical features of hidradenitis suppurativa and provided strategies to promote earlier identification, differentiation from common mimickers, and timely referrals for multidisciplinary management.

A digitally delivered targeted intervention of symptom and trigger education, treatment reminders, lifestyle coaching, and healthy lifestyle support demonstrated significant improvements in treatment adherence and related clinical outcomes among Icelandic patients with atopic dermatitis.

Vestibular dysfunction was shown to be a determinant of imbalance in Parkinson disease independent from visual and somatosensory processing changes and nigrostriatal dopaminergic losses.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in community and home health nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, addressed the impact of food/housing insecurity and other social determinants of health (SDOH) on care outcomes in home health.

Panelists at an Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus 2022 session discussed enhanced utilization management strategies to manage the rising cost of specialty drugs, while providing members with support for rare, complex conditions.

The concluding keynote address at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2022 meeting discussed new and emerging oncology drugs in the pipeline and their potential impact on the treatment landscape as it pertains to managed care providers.

Two posters presented at AMCP Nexus 2022 addressed the cost-effectiveness of guideline-recommended integrase strand transfer inhibitor–based triple therapy in people living with HIV, as well as the efficacy of adjuvant lenacapavir in treatment-naïve patients.