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For pharmacy practices to effectively manage specialty drugs, an extensive staff of pharmacists with clinical and managed care expertise is needed, as well as a collaborative effort between all those involved in the care team.

In a panel discussion at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2020 meeting, experts discussed driving factors of and barriers to the use of real-world evidence by payers in oncology decision-making.

Investigators may have found a minimally invasive way to predict which patients with multiple myeloma are about to experience a relapse.

Challenges remain, in light of new guidelines, when making treatment decisions for patients with severe asthma, noted Megan Althoff, MD, PhD, second year fellow, University of Colorado, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine.

At Dana Farber Cancer Institute, essential steps to developing clinical pathways include engaging physicians to buy-in, finding the optimal platform to store data, and displaying resulting content in a supportive and efficient way.

Abstracts presented at CHEST 2020 looked at improving diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with machine learning and the development of intensive care unit delirium in hospitalized patients with ARDS.

In assessing a post–coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) world, several aspects may impact managed care pharmacy practices long-term, including self-administration of therapies and issues in pharmacy reimbursement spotlighted by the pandemic.

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia is rare and shares many features with other conditions. A new review article helps explain some of the tactics physicians can use to correctly identify it.

The director of the National Institutes of Health speaks out on his prediction for vaccine approval; Americans are having difficulty finding and trusting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) information; pandemic-related trends in Alaska are on the rise.

Addressing pandemics requires preventing infections, controlling the spread of the disease, and minimizing deaths through the use of comprehensive plans, policies, and procedures.

A recent review in Current Diabetes Reports delves into the utility of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with heart failure currently on other medications.

Updated asthma guidelines touch on some challenging areas in disease management and treatment, noted Dan Ouellette, MD, MS, FCCP, of Henry Ford Hospital and Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Air pollution was found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, and other dementias.

Chronic cough is a problem that can have a major impact on quality of life for patients. In many cases, no cause can be found, but there are emerging therapies that could change treatment for these patients.

Marty Makary, MD, MPH, kicked off the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2020 meeting with a call to action around reducing overprescribing, increasing price transparency, and recapturing the public’s trust in the health care system.

The proposed deadline for a second coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stimulus package has arrived; there is a new 3-digit number for mental health emergencies; several treatment options are available for patients who have COVID-19.

Maryland’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) task force on vulnerable populations leveraged data on social determinants of health to rapidly pinpoint populations most at risk of severe COVID-19 complications.

Chronic cough is frustrating for patients and their families, especially during the pandemic, explained Krishna M. Sundar, MD, FCCP, clinical professor, Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, and medical director, Sleep-Wake Center, University of Utah.

Anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment was associated with preserved useful visual acuity in almost 20% of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Early results on rucaparib/sacituzumab govitecan are promising, but further exploration is needed, stated Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, medical director of the Institute for Applied Cancer Science, MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Clinician handoff is critical and can help reduce medical errors in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a series of presentations on planning and communicating around ICU transitions.

We are still working to figure out why low levels of vitamin D are associated with worse outcomes in critical illness, noted Todd W. Rice, MD, FCCP, associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Data from a 5-year open-label treatment period on the safety profile of erenumab (Aimovig) showed the treatment helped patients with episodic migraine achieve a sustained reduction in the number of monthly migraine days and the number of days in which therapies were needed for acute migraines.

With the virtual format of this year’s Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus 2020, there will be several sessions and novel features to look out for, including networking events, educational programming, and a keynote speech.

Tele–intensive care units (ICUs) address coverage gaps and improve quality outcomes, noted John Kazianis, MD, clinical associate professor, Yale School of Medicine, and medical director, InSight Tele-ICU, Yale New Haven Hospital.

Results from a national survey conducted by the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists show that individuals living with diabetes feel they are doing everything they can to manage the condition, yet believe more can be done.

Pfizer will not apply for emergency use authorization of its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine until at least mid-November; infectious disease experts warn of a potential third wave of COVID-19; rates of major depression increased among millennials.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has a negative impact on quality of life, and the burden of this disease in adolescents and their parents should be taken into account as part of the management of AD.