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Health Impacts of Health System Implementation of a Food-as-Medicine Strategy

This article describes the reach of a Food-as-Medicine strategy implemented by a regional health care system and its impact on adult participants’ cardiometabolic risk factors.

Hyperkalemia and Its Treatment: Real-World Evidence and Managed Care Considerations Supporting Use of Potassium Binders

This supplement was supported by AstraZeneca.

Preoperative Acute Care Spending Predicts Costs in Bundled Payment Programs

Preoperative acute care costs significantly predicted postoperative costs in Bundled Payments for Care Improvement model year 3 surgeries, suggesting that accounting for preoperative factors may improve bundled payment outcomes.

Health-Related Social Needs, Methods, and Concerns for a Polysocial Risk Score: An Expert Panel

A polysocial risk score is a potentially useful addition to the growing methodologies to better understand and address health-related social needs.

Coverage With Evidence Development Study Shows Benefits in Patients With Migraine Treated With Remote Electrical Neuromodulation

A coverage with evidence development (CED) study demonstrated significant and clinically meaningful benefits in patients with migraine treated with remote electrical neuromodulation (REN). Health plans should support clinicians’ REN prescriptions by ensuring adequate coverage.

Health Care Costs in Clinical Trial Participants With Advanced Lung Cancer

In an insured population with advanced lung cancer, clinical trial participants had lower or similar total health care costs compared with nonparticipants.

Leveraging Health Plan Infrastructure, Patient Voices to Improve Food Insecurity Identification: Jonathan Wrathall, PhD

Health plan infrastructure and patient reporting are underutilized, powerful tools for identifying food insecurity, Jonathan Wrathall, PhD, argues.

Prior Authorization Requirements in Medicare Advantage and County Social Vulnerability

This study links county-level social vulnerability to variation in Medicare Advantage prior authorization policies.

Neonatology Pricing and Network Participation Under State Balance Billing Regulations

This national study of neonatology services found no clear evidence that state surprise billing regulations influenced prices or provider network participation for the commercially insured.

A Standardized Care Pathway Increases Optimal Dialysis Starts

The authors observed a significant increase in optimal starts for dialysis and in peritoneal dialysis rates after implementing a standardized end-stage renal disease transition pathway.

The Spectrum of Progressive Fibrosing Interstitial Lung Disease: Clinical and Managed Care Considerations

Population-Based Return on Investment of Deploying Transient Elastography

Deploying vibration-controlled transient elastography/controlled attenuation parameter devices at the population level is a financially advantageous solution to address the epidemic of fatty liver disease.

Machine Learning to Target Procalcitonin Testing

Machine learning prediction of procalcitonin positivity using inexpensive routine laboratory tests may reduce procalcitonin test volume and support diagnostic stewardship.

Characteristics of Accountable Care Organizations’ Preferred Skilled Nursing Facility Networks

Medicare accountable care organizations use preferred skilled nursing facility networks for postacute care management, although the size, structure, and resource allocation of networks vary widely.

Contributor: It’s Important to Prioritize HIV Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Not all barriers to HIV-related care and services have been eliminated, and these gaps in care were exacerbated by treatment disruptions brought on by the COVIDC-19 pandemic.

Contributor: How Pediatric Mental Health May Influence the Risk of Heart Disease in Adulthood

In this contributor piece, the connection between the complexities of mental health and heart disease in at-risk communities is explored, with the authors stressing the importance of risk factor evaluation and multidisciplinary patient education from both mental and physical health providers.

Scaling Care Coordination Through Digital Engagement: Stepped-Wedge Trial Assessing Readmissions

This evaluation looks at a postdischarge digital engagement (PDDE) program using causal inference methods to examine the impact of PDDE on readmission.

Differences in the Use of Telephone and Video Telemedicine Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we found lower use of video vs telephone visits among older, Black, Hispanic, and Spanish-speaking patients, driven largely by clinician and practice factors.

Grocery Assistance Shows Potential in Diabetes Care and Beyond

August authors Jeff Romine, PhD, and Kofi Essel, MD, MPH, found grocery assistance linked to fewer diabetes complications and better medication adherence.

Medicare Advantage Reimbursement Structures Impact Home Health Delivery and Outcomes

Medicare Advantage plans that place greater restrictions on home health agency care delivery may have more adverse patient outcomes than plans that provide episodic payments.

Health Care Utilization in Veterans With Alzheimer Disease

Veterans with Alzheimer disease (AD), identified using clinical notes, have higher health care utilization than veterans without AD.

RAISE: Elevating Person-Centered Data for Healthy Communities

The RAISE program provides awareness and shares comprehensive solutions to address the multifaceted reasons for missing and incomplete data across the real-world data continuum.

Use of Voluntary Alignment in the Next Generation ACO Model

Use of voluntary alignment attribution by Next Generation Accountable Care Organization (ACO) participants was limited. The authors highlight the reasons and describe organizational use cases via a mixed-methods approach.

Combined Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy Impact on Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

The combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is associated with reductions in emergency department visits and inpatient admissions along with lower total cost of care relative to either therapy alone.

Health Care Costs in Clinical Trial Participants With Advanced Lung Cancer

In an insured population with advanced lung cancer, clinical trial participants had lower or similar total health care costs compared with nonparticipants.

Combined Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy Impact on Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

The combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is associated with reductions in emergency department visits and inpatient admissions along with lower total cost of care relative to either therapy alone.

Coordinating Specialty Care Across Health Systems: Primary Care Provider Survey

Even with significant organizational investment in cross-system coordination, primary care providers report a range of challenges in coordinating care with specialists in other health systems.

Medication Use for Patients With Obesity: Trends and Characteristics for US Employees

This retrospective analysis examines employees with obesity and reports on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use, comorbidities, and work outcomes over time.

Potential Health Literacy Resources for Health Plans: A Narrative Review

Several evidence-based health literacy resources may be beneficial in health plan settings to improve organizational health literacy, personal health literacy, and health equity.

A Learning Health Care Community: Integrating Research and Practice at Scale

This article presents a case study of how stakeholders in one state came together to integrate practice and research that is a step beyond a learning health care system.