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US Spending on High-Revenue Rare Disease Drugs in 2022

One in 5 of the highest-revenue drugs of 2022 was exclusively approved for rare conditions, accounting for more than 7% of US pharmaceutical spending.

Geographical Variation in Kidney Function Testing and Associations With Health Care Costs Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

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.

Contemporary Care Patterns in the Management of Small Renal Masses

An investigation of management patterns after initial radiographic diagnosis of small renal masses showed that early urologist referral was associated with guideline-concordant care.

Improving Pulmonary Embolism Outcomes in Intermediate-Risk Patients: Krunal Patel, MD

Krunal Patel, MD, pulmonary and critical care fellow, Temple University Hospital, discusses how early intervention within 12 hours improved hemodynamic measurements and clinical outcomes in patients with pulmonary embolism.

Appropriate ED Utilization Leading to Better Care Coordination

Addressing avoidable emergency department (ED) utilization takes interventions in partnership with providers.

Glucose-Lowering Treatment Patterns in Patients With Diabetic Kidney Disease

Real-world treatment of diabetic kidney disease in the United States, based on national-level health care claims and electronic health records data, is inconsistent with the current guidelines.

Unmet Health Care and Health-Related Social Needs of Laundromat Users

Laundromats offer a promising outreach setting for Medicaid payers because Medicaid enrollees represent a majority of laundromat users and have disproportionately high levels of unmet needs.

Burden of EPS in Commercial Patients With Schizophrenia Initiating Atypical Antipsychotics

This study investigated the 1-year incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), as well as the incremental economic burden, in patients with schizophrenia initiating atypical antipsychotics.

Improving Treatment Adherence With LAIs for Comorbid Schizophrenia, Substance Use Disorder

Joshua Kaufman, MD, of CDPHP, discusses the significance of long-acting injectables (LAIs) in improving adherence, reducing the risk of relapse, and preventing hospitalizations.

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.

New AASM Guideline Sheds Light on Combination Therapy for Chronic Insomnia: Salma Patel, MD

Salma Patel, MD, shares findings from the implementation of combination therapy recommendations for patients with chronic insomnia.

Improving Remote Dermatology Care, Diagnosis, and Clinical Trial Diversity: James Song, MD

James Song, MD, discusses the direction teledermatology is heading and how more inclusive clinical trials can improve outcomes for patients of color.

Insights Into Patient Portal Engagement Leveraging Observational Electronic Health Data

This analysis of more than 250,000 adults at least 50 years old with chronic conditions showed lower portal use among older, non–English-speaking, and Black patients, underscoring digital health equity gaps.

Contributor: A Practical Path Forward to More Patient-Centered Value Assessment

To ensure that value assessment accounts for patient needs, we need a better understanding of the outcomes that are most important to patients, write authors from COVIA Health Solutions and the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.

Do Localized Disasters Impact Clinical Measures of Health Care Quality?

This study examines the impact of geographically limited disasters on health care quality performance scores of Medicare Advantage contracts, finding limited impact on performance scores.

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.

How English- and Spanish-Preferring Patients With Cancer Decide on Emergency Care

Care delivery innovations to help patients with cancer avoid emergency department visits are underused. The authors interviewed English- and Spanish-preferring patients at 2 diverse health systems to understand why.

Financial Incentives Tied to Medicare Star Ratings: Impact on Influenza Vaccination Uptake in Medicare Beneficiaries

Influenza vaccine uptake improved among Medicare Advantage enrollees when influenza vaccination was introduced as a performance metric in Medicare star ratings and accompanying bonus payments.

Impact of Travel Distance on Quality Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer

This study identified characteristics of patients with colorectal cancer who traveled farther for surgery and found that those who traveled tended to stay longer at the hospital.

Assessing Opportunities to Advance Quality Measures in Adult Obesity

Obesity is a serious chronic disease and risk factor for a broad range of outcomes. This study identifies opportunities for improving quality in obesity care.

Primary Care Practice Structural Capabilities in Health Professional Shortage Areas

Nurse practitioners are increasingly meeting primary care demands in underserved areas and are more likely to deliver structural capabilities related to chronic disease management.

Geographic Variability of Medicaid Acceptance Among Allergists in the US

The proportion of allergists accepting Medicaid in the US varied significantly among and within states.

Intensive Care Management of a Complex Medicaid Population: A Randomized Evaluation

The authors present findings of a randomized evaluation of Medicaid patients at an academic medical center, which found that intensive care management was associated with reduced total medical expense.

Clinical and Economic Burden of Uncontrolled Severe Noneosinophilic Asthma

Among patients with severe asthma with low eosinophils untreated with biologics, there is a high burden of disease among those who have suboptimal disease control.

Defining Appropriate Quality Performance Metrics for Pharmacies Dispensing Oral Oncology Therapies

Trends in Acupuncture Billing by a Large Commercial Insurer

A large commercial insurer is increasingly covering acupuncture, which is a safe and effective alternative to opioids, for multiple pain conditions.

Preferences for and Experiences With Pill Appearance Changes: National Surveys of Patients and Pharmacists

Changes in generic drug appearance occur often. Patients’ and pharmacists’ responses to those changes vary, with some patients stopping their medication or using it less.

Congress Must Protect Physicians From Medicare Cuts: MGMA

The Medical Group Management Association offers an analysis of pending legislation that could help health care practices better serve patients.

Long-Term Remission in Ph-Negative B-ALL With Sequential CAR T, ASCT

Patients achieve a high 2-year survival and deep MRD-negative remissions with CAR T-cell therapy followed by stem cell transplant in B-cell ALL.