Diabetes

This week, the top managed care news included President Donald Trump vowing to lower drug prices during his State of the Union address; 3 corporate giants joined forces on healthcare; and CAR T-cell therapy was named the cancer advance of the year.

Empagliflozin (Jardiance) and another SGLT2 inhibitor, canagliflozin (Invokana) have been competing aggressively; both have clinical trial results showing cardiovascular benefits.

Officials at Omada Health said the PREDICTS trial was planned long before CMS decided not to include virtual providers in this spring's launch of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program. But a spokesperson said the company hopes the growing body of evidence in support of virtual programs will "assuage any concerns."

The pairing will give employers and health plans "holistic" solutions for chronic disease management, according to CEOs of the companies.

Racial/ethnic minorities and patients living in poorer neighborhoods were more likely to access their personal health record exclusively with a mobile device.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care stories included CMS unveiling a new voluntary bundled payment model; coverage from the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, including immunotherapy's impact on HIV treatment and biosimilars; and news that 2 key diabetes devices will be covered by Medicare.

The same mechanisms that cause those with long-term HIV infection to suffer higher rates of heart attacks or strokes put children born with disease at early risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

This week, the investors and analysts turned their attention to presentations by business leaders at the 36th Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, held in San Francisco, California. Executives from the pharmaceutical and healthcare worlds showcased their products, pipelines, and visions for the future.

Older adults who are prescribed many medications that require frequent trips to the pharmacy are more likely to not refill their prescriptions on time, but patients who participate in medication synchronization programs have improved adherence to cardiovascular medications, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Solera Health, discusses the historic launch of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program scheduled for this April and how her company is helping providers and other stakeholders get ready.

Brenda Schmidt is CEO of Solera Health, an integrator that serves as the “back office” for both community-based and digital providers of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), an evidence-based program that has been shown to reduce incidence of people with prediabetes progressing to type 2 diabetes. In April, Medicare will take the historic step of launching the DPP for beneficiaries, and Solera has been at the forefront of helping providers navigate the policy and technical hurdles to serve clients who will take part in the DPP.

The factory-calibrated continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system is being touted as less expensive, and a spokeswoman said it will not require bundling with a meter, which is required for a competitor.

Dexcom Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer RIck Doubleday visited The American Journal of Managed Care® to discuss Medicare reimbursement for the Dexcom G5 and a new partnership with Fitbit.

Rick Doubleday is the executive vice president, and chief commercial officer at Dexcom. He is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service functions. Previously, Doubleday led all sales and marketing functions for the company, driving the acceleration of worldwide awareness and adoption of Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Doubleday visited The American Journal of Managed Care® this fall to discuss bringing the Dexcom G5 to Medicare beneficiaries.

Cost considerations and potential for prevention covered in current issue of Evidence-Based Diabetes ManagementTM.

The FDA has approved the sale of the Dermapace System, the first shock wave device intended to treat diabetic foot ulcers.

Adapting payment models to reward outcomes is key to making lifestyle change fit into a managed care framework, several articles find.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care stories included the elimination of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate; a new gene therapy for inherited vision loss that could cost $1 million; and a study found that social isolation can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Key drug approvals; alcohol cancer link.