All News

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we talk with Michael N. Abrams, a cofounder and managing partner of Numerof & Associates, about the fifth annual report on the state of population health.

Narcolepsy, along with several other conditions are examined as potential risk factors for coronavirus disease 2019 susceptibility and adverse outcomes.

Associations between maternal antidepressant use and specific birth defects exist, particularly among mothers taking venlafaxine, according to a recent case-control study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

It is imperative individuals with cardiovascular diseases remain active despite COVID-19 lockdowns, said Antonio Pelliccia, MD, senior consultant and chief of cardiology at the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, of the Italian National Olympic Committee.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–related hospitalizations and deaths of children and teens are on the rise; vaccine experts warn against rushing a COVID-19 vaccine; 2 studies spotlighted the airborne spread of COVID-19.

Melissa L. Johnson, MD, associate director for lung cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute and partner in Tennessee Oncology, discussed the biggest gains in the lung cancer space that have contributed to improved survival for patients.

Reproductive carrier screening can identify conditions like spinal muscular atrophy, but this testing is often not done at all or not done before a woman gets pregnant, according to a new study.

For the first time in the United States, researchers have rebuilt damaged corneas using a patient’s own stem cells to aid in the recovery from ocular injuries such as chemical burns.

It's a great time to be a doctor treating patients with heart failure, given the development of 2 fantastic new treatments within the space of 5 years, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

In a cohort study, investigators from Denmark used nationwide register data to analyze the relationship between influenza vaccinations and cardiovascular outcomes among individuals with diabetes.

A new analysis finds therapeutic plasma exchange has become more costly, and more common among patients with multiple myeloma.

There was no statistically significant difference in patient-reported outcomes for short-term integrated palliative care compared with standard care in those with long-term neurological conditions.

Questionnaire results from the first weeks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic show that breast cancer treatment delays happened more often for younger vs older women.

Using data from the Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Erenumab in Migraine Prevention, researchers were able to analyze the efficacy of erenumab at ≥50%, ≥75%, and 100% thresholds for reduction in monthly migraine days.

The new guidelines can help cardiologists better advise patients with CVD on physical activity, said Antonio Pelliccia, MD, senior consultant and chief of cardiology at the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, of the Italian National Olympic Committee.

The Unites States has its first reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection; the FDA expands emergency use of remdesivir; experts lower the age for initial screening of colorectal cancer.

A study finds that a partner's participation in a lifestyle change program can be a key to success, especially for weight loss.

It's interesting that we saw such a clear U-shaped mortality curve for serum bicarbonate levels in a patient population where we usually don't think about measuring bicarbonate, said Manan Pareek, MD, PhD, FAHA, FESC, an internal medicine hospital resident at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Having 2 trials that both show benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors in heart failure hospitalizations can only encourage the use of these drugs, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Advances in imaging have made assessment of atherosclerosis non-invasive, while the EVAPORATE trial demonstrates how cardiac CT can assist in looking at a host of different therapies, said Matthew Budoff, MD, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and investigator at The Lundquist Institute.

Results from the second major renal outcomes trial for an SGLT2 inhibitor affirm the role of the class in preventing renal decline and kidney failure.

The PARALLAX study points to potential benefits from sacubitril/valsartan in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, which has no approved treatments.

Of the top 10% considered high cost from an overall cohort of 21 million, a recent study by Milliman found that 57% of this high-cost group had a mental health or substance abuse diagnosis. This behavioral subgroup was shown to contribute to 44% of all health care spending, said Henry Harbin, MD, leading behavioral health expert and adviser to The Bowman Family Foundation.

It's very important to take the EMPEROR-Reduced and DAPA-HF trials together as being complementary, said Milton Packer, MD, of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

In this most recent analysis of REDUCE-IT, results show a consistent benefit favoring icosapent ethyl versus placebo irrespective of the actual statin type, said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School.

Patients were more likely to report more relapses of multiple sclerosis than physicians.

Evidence shows a possible connection between chronic exposure to traffic noise and atherosclerosis progression, but not major cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure, until now.

Early rhythm control was associated with a marked reduction in cardiovascular deaths among at-risk stroke patients, said Paulus Kirchhof, MD, director of the department of cardiology at the University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg, and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham.