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On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with one of the authors of a paper published this month in Health Affairs about the utilization of substance use disorder treatment (SUD) services between 2010 and 2019, and why more needs to be done to get more individuals into treatment.

Today, health plans are shifting dollars to more value-based contracts along with investments in population health management. Digitizing lab results across all care settings and unlocking the potential of lab values can help health plans reach the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per-member cost of health care.

A cross-sectional analysis found that protein biomarkers were associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate, which may capture early kidney impairment.

The report details totals paid to hospitals by private insurers and providers and compares the sums with a Medicare benchmark.

The findings are based off an analysis of 98,159 individuals.

While current data on medical cannabinoids in rheumatology is limited, findings suggest that adverse events (AEs) and drug interactions outweigh the benefits.

The FDA announces it will streamline the review process to make it easier for foreign manufacturers to ship more formula to the US; researchers in Australia find babies with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have low levels of butyrylcholinesterase in their blood; the federal government approves a third round of COVID-19 test kits and the FDA is expected to authorize booster shots for children aged 5 to 11 years.

Experts warn, however, that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations missed because of the COVID-19 pandemic could stymie this progress.

In a 2-sample Mendelian randomization study, researchers found a direct causal relationship between genetically predicted coffee consumption and higher risk of primary open-angle glaucoma.

Based on their findings, the researchers of the retrospective study are calling for close evaluation, careful monitoring, and appropriate treatment to mitigate complications and mortality.

All patients said insulin pump therapy helped their diabetes management related to exercise.

Significant progress has led to improved survival in patients with HIV/AIDS, but lymphoma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient population.

Dupilumab improved lung function and reduced severe asthma exacerbation rates in children with moderate to severe asthma with or without atopic comorbidities.

FDA to make an announcement regarding importation of baby formula; first-line use of nivolumab and ipilimumab vs standard of care chemotherapy fails to meet primary end point of overall survival in phase 3 CheckMate 901 trial; study finds link between antibiotic prescriptions and inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis in older adults.

The Amputation Reduction and Compassion Act (H.R. 2631) would ensure that Medicare and Medicaid both cover peripheral artery disease screening for at-risk beneficiaries without the cost-sharing requirements that could make some patients balk at seeking care.

Anna Brewster, services and volunteer manager at The Food Chain, a London-based charity that provides short-term assistance to persons living with HIV (PLWH), discusses how education provided through the Eating Positively program connects the importance of food and proper nutrition to health outcomes.

Two periods of sacubitril/valsartan initiation were compared in a study population of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF): less than 3 months or 3 or more months following first HFrEF diagnosis.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be especially difficult to manage in older adults, so this new multinational review compared the safety and effectiveness of a hybrid closed-loop (HCL) system and sensor-augmented pump (SAP) therapy.

In their paper, the researchers detail the first, to their knowledge, case of a potential gain of function phenotype for IL-33 in a human.

According to recent findings, metabolizing disulfiram into diethyldithiocarbamate-copper complex creates a proteasome inhibitor-like treatment that enables the efficient killing of treatment-resistant multiple myeloma (MM) cells.

An abstract from the American Thoracic Society International Conference demonstrated that Black men have a greater risk of not receiving a proper diagnosis of emphysema, after race-based adjustments to spirometry found normal lung function.

The study found associations between miRNA-499 polymorphism and autoimmune disease risk in Caucasian and Asian populations, including a significantly increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

A retrospective study assessed hospital readmission rates in patients with sickle cell disease and acute chest syndrome who took angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers vs those who did not.

Miruna Sasu, PhD, MBA, president and CEO of COTA Healthcare, delves into how real-world data and evidence generation have changed, both within the past year and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drug yielded partial responses in 2 of 15 patients in this single-arm, phase 2 study.

The group noted that this transformation should affect changes at every level, including at the individual level during patient visits, at the organization level in how clinical encounters are organized, and at the national level in both policies and guidelines for type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Patients with psoriatic disease who live in low-income countries exhibited the highest disease activity and impact despite similar usage of biologic drugs to that of higher-income areas.

Research shows that long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) can improve the overall health and survival of mothers living with HIV and their children who have been exposed to HIV.