Houston Families in Shelters Get Telemedicine Help
People in shelters in Houston after Hurricane Harvey are facing medical conditions, such as chronic disease or injuries from the storm, and telemedicine can help. With fewer pediatric physicians available in shelters, physicians in Dallas are seeing young patients remotely, reported STAT. The telemedicine station allows physicians to see children and measure vital signs with specially designed equipment. The shelter will eventually have an on-site pharmacy, too, to better help parents fill prescriptions for their children.
Hickenlooper, Kasich Present Health Proposal
A bipartisan group of governors, led by Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, and Colorado’s Democrat governor, John Hickenlooper, sent a blueprint to Congress on how to stabilize the individual insurance marketplaces. According to The Washington Post, the proposal calls for a federal fund to provide a buffer to insurers with high-cost consumers and for the federal government to waive insurer taxes in counties with 1 health plan to encourage increased competition. The Senate’s health committee has 2 days of hearings scheduled for next week to explore ways to improve the Affordable Care Act and its marketplaces.
The High Cost of Being “Under Observation”
Patients who stay in the hospital but are never officially admitted are feeling the pain of big bills when they get out. The New York Times outlined what being under observation means and why a recent ruling by a federal judge means Medicare recipients can now challenge their “under observation” status. The status becomes extremely costly if patients need additional care in a nursing home. Patients who spent 3 consecutive days as an inpatient have the first 20 days in a nursing home covered by Medicare, but patients who are in the hospital under observation have to foot the entire nursing home bill themselves.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
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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.
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Need for Pharmacogenomic Testing in Mental Health Care Explored at AMCP 2024
April 17th 2024Presenters from Mayo Clinic discussed the benefits of implementing pharmacogenomic testing in mental health care for the betterment of patient outcomes, reducing medical costs, and more at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting.
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