Population Health

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.

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.

On this edition of Managed Care Cast, we present a short excerpt from a January webinar titled “Color and COVID-19: The Virus’ Disproportionate Impact” hosted by the MJH Life Sciences™ COVID-19 Coalition about how the pandemic has had an unequal, devastating impact on communities of color.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), under a new administration, on Wednesday dropped its previous position that the now-defunct tax provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cannot be severed from the rest of the law, thus making the entire health law unconstitutional.

Prediabetes may not be a robust diagnostic biomarker for predicting future diabetes development in older adults.

The intersection of climate change and negative impacts on health were brought into sharp focus this week with executive orders from President Biden, a move by General Motors (GM) to stop making some gasoline-powered cars, and top global cardiology organizations calling for urgent action on air pollution.

The Biden administration will reopen the health exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA); direct HHS and other agencies to reexamine other health policies, including Medicaid work requirements; and reverse the so-called global gag rule while affirming support for reproductive health.

Health plan pharmacists are in the perfect position to see overprescribing as it happens.

As Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, prepares to assume the role of CDC director on January 20, the infectious disease specialist faces a myriad of challenges wrought by the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

A population-based study from the Netherlands showed that individuals with had at least 1 direct relative affected with chronic kidney disease (CKD), suggesting that biomarkers for CKD can aid in detecting the early stages of the disease.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the new chief financial officer of Strive Health, a value-based kidney care company that works with payers and providers to create an integrated care delivery system for chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We discuss the changes coming to nephrology practices, as well as new ways of looking at the whole patient to halt the slide to irreversible ESRD.

Addressing the social health needs of those ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenge for providers and health care systems. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief health officer for Kaiser Permanente, who discusses the organization's guide that walks clinicians through considerations to keep in mind when screening patients in order to improve health outcomes as well as reduce community transmission.

The FDA warns against making any changes to the authorized dosing schedules of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines; joint health care venture, Haven, dissolves; Moderna announced it will increase production of its vaccine by 100 million doses for 2021.

Discussions between the FDA and Operation Warp Speed officials have mentioned the implementation of half-dose coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine regimens; the United Kingdom becomes the first country to administer the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine; the outlook for mental health in 2021.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) dominated 2020. This is a look back at how the pandemic evolved and progressed through the year, which closed with the arrival of vaccines, but also continued challenges.

The identification and assessment of frailty, defined as a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes resulting from loss of physiological reserve, should become a routine aspect of diabetes care, authors of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Health Longevity argued.

A look at some of our most-read news coverage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Stark realities exposed by the pandemic have led some to advocate for redirecting resources to have the most impact on vulnerable populations.