Authors

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Telemental Health Use Among Publicly Insured Children

Among publicly insured children with mental health–related encounters, racial and ethnic disparities in telemental health use widened following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Predicting Hospital Readmission in Medicaid Patients With Diabetes Using Administrative and Claims Data

A statistical model based entirely on claims data can accurately predict 30-day hospital readmission in Medicaid patients with diabetes.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Accessibility of Taiwanese Medical Care

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to routine medical care in community populations in Taiwan. The unmet needs should be emphasized as normal life resumes.

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.

Clinician Characteristics Associated With Fluoride Varnish Applications During Well-Child Visits

Clinicians treating a higher percentage of patients insured by Medicaid and patients younger than 5 years were more likely to apply fluoride varnish.

Primary Care Case Conferences to Mitigate Social Determinants of Health: A Case Study From One FQHC System

This article describes perceived benefits, facilitators, and challenges of conducting interprofessional team case conferences in primary care settings to address patients’ complex social needs.

An Accelerated Hospital Observation Pathway to Reduce Length of Stay for Patients With COVID-19

For select patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, an academic urban hospital implemented an observation pathway that incorporated mobile health technology, reducing hospital length of stay by more than 2 days.

Adherence Patterns 1 Year After Initiation of SGLT2 Inhibitors: Results of a National Cohort Study

This article describes the trajectory of adherence patterns among users of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. The authors found that baseline factors were unable to predict the adherence trajectory groups.

An Accelerated Hospital Observation Pathway to Reduce Length of Stay for Patients With COVID-19

For select patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, an academic urban hospital implemented an observation pathway that incorporated mobile health technology, reducing hospital length of stay by more than 2 days.

Investigating Real-world Consequences of Biases in Commonly Used Clinical Calculators

Clinical calculators that do not include demographic variables may be biased, and their equity should be understood in the context of clinical guidelines.

Standardized Total Knee Arthroplasty Pathway Improves Outcomes in Minority Patients

In a minority-predominant patient population, a standardized pathway for total knee arthroplasty was associated with improved outcomes with no change in postoperative complication rates.

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.

Patient Perspectives on Technology-Based Approaches to Social Needs Screening

Patients are essential stakeholders in designing systems to capture social needs. The authors present key findings from patient interviews regarding social needs screening through technology-based modalities.

Assessment of Variation in Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring Among Commercially Insured Patients

Ambulatory cardiac monitors’ clinical and economic outcomes vary; one long-term continuous monitor brand showed greater arrhythmia diagnosis, fewer retests and cardiovascular events, and lower health care resource use and costs.

Assessing the Impact of Transplant Case Management on Clinical Outcomes

This article examines the effect of a transplant case management program on clinical outcomes following transplant surgery.

Contributor: Modern Medicine Meets House Calls—Caring for the Patient With Diabetes in 2020

Physicians agree that telehealth leads to better and more consistent patient care for patients and their families and provides many more touchpoints for patients with diabetes—all of which should continue after the pandemic in order to provide these patients with the best care going forward.

Increasing Clinical Awareness of Obesity as a Serious, Chronic, Relapsing, and Treatable Disease

Value-Based Payment, the Safety Net, and Rethinking Risk

Safety-net providers can benefit from demonstrations of condition-specific and defined-scope-of-practice alternative payment models that account for the nonfinancial as well as financial risks that providers face.

Contributor: How to Remedy Low Health Literacy and Amplify SDOH Programs at Scale

Ryan Bosch, MD, FACP, founder and president of Socially Determined, outlines steps for improving health literacy.

Behavior-Based Diabetes Management: Impact on Care, Hospitalizations, and Costs

The Diabetes Care Rewards program offers a business case for health plans to promote engagement through use of contingent incentives, thus improving health outcomes and lowering costs.

Measuring Continuity of Care for Diabetes: Which Visits to Include?

This study examined how inclusion of different provider specialties affected Continuity of Care Index values, year-to-year stability, and association with emergency department visits.

Collaborative Care Implementation: Lessons Learned

The authors drafted a “Shared Values of Collaborative Care” document with fundamental principles to make better group decisions in implementing collaborative care.

Association Between Screening for Suspected COVID-19 Cases and Outcomes of Patients Revisiting the Emergency Department

Patients who revisit the emergency department shortly after discharge are at high risk for complications and death, exacerbated by COVID-19 screening workload. Detection efforts impact outcomes.

Managed Care COVID-19 Outcomes in a Population Health Program

Data from 38,193 patients showed that managed care patients have COVID-19 risk factors similar to those of the general population and that a population health program decreased mortality.

Venetoclax Combo Achieves Mixed Results in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Venetoclax plus bortezomib and dexamethasone improved PFS in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, especially in patients with BCL2high disease.

Cardiovascular Outcomes, Safety, and Tolerability With Oral Semaglutide: Insights for Managed Care

Transition-to-Dialysis Planning, Health Care Use, and Mortality in End-Stage Renal Disease

A planned transition to dialysis was associated with improved outcomes and lower mortality. These findings may inform care coordination policies for end-stage renal disease.

Health Outcomes Under Full-Risk Medicare Advantage vs Traditional Medicare

Physician groups under 2-sided risk–based Medicare Advantage provide care associated with higher quality and efficiency compared with care by these same groups under fee-for-service Medicare.

Contributor: Opportunities for Provider Engagement, Intervention, and Coordination Highlighted in CVS Health Study

As providers strive to deliver seamless, collaborative, and deeply engaging care, advances focused on treating the whole health of a person, wherever they are in their care journey, will be necessary as the health care system continues to evolve to meet the needs of patients and providers alike.

Insurer Costs of COVID-19 by Disease Severity and Duration

Payer costs for COVID-19 ranged from a mean of $505 for asymptomatic cases to $126,094 for severe cases with post–COVID-19 condition.