General Motors (GM) announced its partnership with the Henry Ford Health System to ensure wellness services and healthcare management for salaried employees; Democratic and Republican representatives in the House and the Senate have sent separate letters to HHS Secretary Alex Azar on eliminating direct and indirect remuneration fees; despite using infected kidneys in transplant patients, outcomes improved.
In a significant move that establishes the role of the employer as a payer, General Motors (GM) announced its partnership with the Henry Ford Health System to ensure wellness services and healthcare management for salaried employees of the company and their families who reside in Southeast Michigan. This “direct to employer” contract will provide GM employees access to over 3000 primary and specialty care physicians.
Both Democratic and Republican representatives in the House and the Senate have sent separate letters to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking that the government remove retroactive direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees that pharmacies have to pay to Medicare Part D health plans. Inside Health Policy has reported that pharmacists believe that eliminating the DIR fee would significantly lower drug prices, an argument that is fiercely contested by pharmacy benefit managers who operate prescription drug programs for plans.
A small study with 20 patients in need of a kidney transplant found that despite receiving organs infected with hepatitis C, using medications to rid the virus improved patient health. “When there’s such a bad organ shortage, we can’t just do business as usual,” said Peter Reese, MD, MSCE, associate professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study. “We need to shake off that these organs aren’t valuable and that people will not want them.”
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Homelessness Compounds Hospital Stay Challenges: Study Reveals Prolonged Discharge Struggles
March 28th 2024In this investigation, outcomes of interest were morbidity rate and length of hospital stay or a traumatic injury among a homeless population, and whether age and/or injury severity had an influence on that relationship—with implications for improving the discharge process for these patients.
Read More
FDA Approves Vadadustat for Anemia in Patients With CKD Undergoing Dialysis
March 28th 2024The FDA approved vadadustat (Vafseo), an oral medication, to treat anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis for at least 3 months. This fills a need for a new treatment option as anemia is common in these patients and can significantly impact their quality of life.
Read More