Population Health

In the June Matters in Managed Care webinar, experts from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, UNC Center for the Business of Health, and WakeMed discussed how they are working together to address some of the state’s unique primary care needs.

With systemic health and social inequalities contributing to a lack of health care access and a growing mortality risk among rural Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated health issues present between community lines. We spotlight several health challenges in these communities and potential solutions to improve the general health of rural populations.

At a session of AHIP 2021 Institute and Expo Online, the head of North Carolina's health and human services department and a health equity policy advisor in the Biden administration discussed how collecting and using data to achieve health equity is ultimately a policy decision.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of the annual PwC Behind the Numbers report, which looks ahead at medical cost trends in the United States.

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with a coauthor of an article in June’s Health Affairs examining the racial and ethnic composition of beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans and the potential implications as the program continues to grow.

If 2020 was dominated by the news of how COVID-19 spread across the globe, then 2021 has so far been focused on ending the pandemic through vaccine distribution.

In this white paper from Humana, the authors discuss how the aftermath of COVID-19 will require the frequent use of screeners and tools to assess changes in health status, including health-related quality of life and social health. Taking into account the results that matter most to patients will be key to improving health outcomes.

Results from Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index show Massachusetts was the healthiest state in 2020 while Mississippi ranked last.

J. Jaime Caro, MDCM, FACP, FRCPC, is chief scientist at Evidera, professor in practice at London School of Economics, and adjunct professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at McGill University.

The United States will ship approximately 80 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines abroad; Ireland's health services system could be hobbled for weeks by a ransomware attack; the FDA recalls more than 60,000 pacemakers manufactured by Abbott.

Anthony Fauci, MD, told attendees at the ATS 2021 International Conference that the real-world evidence of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is even better than expected.

A pediatric infectious disease expert reviewed some developments in the vaccine development pipeline, especially new efforts targeting infant health through maternal immunizations.

There is a role for pharmacists and pharmacy quality measures in addressing the public health challenge of diabetes, according to speakers at a recent virtual meeting this week.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, talks with the founder and CEO of ConsejoSano, a patient engagement firm working with diverse, multicultural, multilingual populations about the importance of building relationships and trust when trying to understand opinions and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination.

The FDA said vaccinating adolescents is another step in getting the country back to prepandemic life.

William Shrank, MD, MSHS, the chief medical officer of Humana, discusses how the company is trying to overcome any vaccine hesitancy both in its workforce and in its insured member population.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the chief strategy officer for Well Being Trust, one of the authors of a recent report about how well health insurers and state Medicaid programs are covering mental health care for children and compliance with federal law. We discuss the unique challenges that youth face, the health disparities, racism, and community trauma that has been experienced in the past year, and some creative ways that organizations and communities can consider increase access to mental health supports.

Neglecting public health in state budgets for more than 10 years created an environment that was ill-suited to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 as well as other issues. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with one of the authors of a recent paper that examined state funding trends from 2008 to 2018 and discuss what could be done in the future to avoid past mistakes.

Phase 3 data show the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 6 months after the second dose; the USDA will not move forward with a plan to cut food stamps; data reveal spike in drug overdose deaths during pandemic.

Early on in the pandemic, Cotiviti developed a COVID-19 tracker map that accurately predicts where in the United States new COVID-19 outbreaks would occur. Nicole Neumarker, of Cotiviti, provides insight into what impact this technology could have in the future.

How can health care systems talk about the issue of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy with their patients? On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Pat Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, interviews the developer of interactive, people-centered, multimedia, educational programs for Wolters Kluwer Health.

Patients discharged from hospitals after recovering from severe COVID-19 were found to have lasting functional impairment and post-traumatic stress symptoms months after, according to a study.

A panel of policy experts, including employees of the previous 2 administrations and a former lobbyist for health plans, discusses achievements of value-based insurance design and how to take the concept to the next level.

The $1.9 trillion spending package aimed at providing COVID-19 relief for those with low and middle incomes also represents the biggest investment in the exchange marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since the landmark law was passed 11 years ago.

In a briefing, the White House COVID-19 Team discussed the first guidance from the CDC on activities that individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely resume, and Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave an update on antiretroviral drug development.