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Managed Care Cast

Exploring the Increased Prevalence, Evolving Role of Physician Assistants

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In April, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (PAs) released its Statistical Report of Certified Physician Assistants, which detailed significant growth of the profession in recent years, finding an increase in both the number of certified PAs and in the number of PA programs.

Heard at the Midwest Business Group on Health: Employers Get Invested in Healthcare

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At the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH)’s 39th annual conference, Cheryl Larson, president and chief executive officer of MBGH, and Denise Giambalvo, vice president of MBGH, discussed a range of topics affecting employers, including trust with employees, popular initiatives, the cost of specialty drugs, and various proposals and policies from the Trump administration, such as getting rid of drug rebates and including drug prices in TV ads.

Improving Care for Patients With Parkinson Disease in the Hospital

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Patients with Parkinson disease can suffer complications in the hospital if the individualized, highly structured care plans that manage their disease are not followed. Neurosurgeon Hooman Azmi, MD, FAANS, the coauthor (along with Fiona Gupta, MD) of "Parkinson's Disease for the Hospitalist: Managing the Complex Care of a Vulnerable Population," discussed what it takes to improve patient care for this population.

Do Machine-Readable Directories Improve Provider Directory Accuracy?

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In study in this month’s issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, researchers examined the accuracy of provider directories and considered whether machine-readable formats are more accurate than conventional directories and have the potential to improve directory accuracy in the future. During today’s podcast, we speak with the lead author of the study, Michael Adelberg, MA, MPP.

Connecting Cancer Practices to Share Data, Deliver Better Care, Identify Best Practices

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Outcomes for patients with cancer are continuously improving, but the increasingly complex healthcare system, new payment and delivery models that place more risk on practices, and rising costs of therapies has made it difficult for independent oncology practices to thrive and survive. However, independent practices present an important part of cancer care, delivering care to patients who are not near large hospital-based systems at lower costs.

Heard at COA: Improving Cancer Care in Community Practices With OneOncology

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In September 2018, Tennessee Oncology, New York Cancer and Blood Specialists, and West Cancer Center announced the launch of OneOncology. During the 2019 Community Oncology Conference, we sat down with Jeff Patton, MD, chief executive officer of Tennessee Oncology, and Robin Shah, chief development and marketing officer for OneOncology.

Why Patients Seek Out Medical Cannabis

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We speak with Kevin F. Boehnke, PhD, a researcher in anesthesiology, about the findings that chronic pain accounts for the majority of all patient-reported qualifying conditions under which US patients sought medical cannabis.

How a Self-Insured Employer Decreased Costs While Improving Performance

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Today we’re speaking with Dr. Steven Goldberg, the vice president of medical affairs, population health, and chief health officer at Quest Diagnostics. He is also a co-author of a recent peer-reviewed case study that analyzed a benefits and wellness program designed by a self-insured employer.

Understanding the Impact of Inappropriate Opioid Prescribing Practices

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Deaths from drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50, which can largely be attributed to prescription opioids. Due to the role of prescription opioids, understanding prescribing patterns and identifying inappropriate prescribing are crucial for changing the course of the epidemic.

Healthcare Needs More Chief Wellness Officers to Address Burnout and Its Impact

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As the prevalence of burnout among healthcare providers has increased over the last few years, it has raised attention to the issue. That attention, and an awareness of the impact burnout can have on patient outcomes, has led more organizations to implement interventions to address and alleviate burnout in healthcare.

Understanding Problems With CMS' Diabetes Test Strip Bidding Program

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Today we’re speaking with Tom Milam, founder and president of TrueLifeCare. As a former chief operating officer for a national diabetes supply, education, and support company, Milam created programs for people with diabetes that served more than 100,000 members nationwide. His experience also includes a federal appointment providing advisory service to Medicare. His extensive experience and knowledge within the diabetes space allows Tom to offer us an expert view of CMS’ Competitive Bidding Program.

MyPath, an App That Uses AI to Guide Patients' Cancer Journeys

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Today we’re speaking with Dr Elizabeth Mynatt, the executive director of the Institute for People and Technology and a professor in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr Mynatt and her team developed an app called MyPath that uses artificial intelligence to help guide a patient’s cancer journey.

Ensuring Access to Generic Medications

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Generic drugs offer treatment options that are as safe and effective as brand name drugs while also helping lower costs for both patients and health systems. It's estimated that over the last 10 years, generics have saved Americans $1.5 trillion

Understanding Barriers to Accessing Specialty Care Under Medicaid Expansion

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A study in this month's Medicaid themed issue explored the obstacles standing between Medicaid beneficiaries and access to specialty care in states that have expanded Medicaid. It also discussed strategies that community health centers may use to help their Medicaid patients obtain visits with specialists.