Health System

An abstract from last month’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium identifies factors linked with longer-term controlled substance use after treatment of breast cancer with mastectomy plus breast reconstruction in women receiving opioids, benzodiazepines, and other sedative/hypnotics.

The top 5 most-read sleep stories of 2020 on AJMC.com spotlighted the role of sleep hygiene among children and adolescents, changes in sleeping habits amid the pandemic, and how a rare gene mutation may cause people to require less sleep to achieve wakefulness.

Researchers discuss recent insights on the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and atrial fibrillation (AF), particularly how proper SDB management can reduce the incidence, burden, and recurrence of AF.

Recent study findings highlight mixed results following use of this medication among Mississippi and Massachusetts Medicaid beneficiaries.

The top 5 most-read employer stories of 2020 on AJMC.com focused primarily on the role of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on several issues affecting the workplace, including adverse mental health outcomes, leave-related concerns, and the rise of virtual care.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended zanubrutinib, approved by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma, as a first-line and second-line therapy for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).

Congress passes legislation that will delay the start of the Radiation Oncology (RO) Advanced Payment Model; examining the newly identified variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); a study finds Hispanics and those without college degrees most subject to excess death during pandemic.

Four principal themes emerged in this study, describing why Latino/a and Black transgender women and men who have sex with men discontinued their preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV.

Kashyap Patel, MD, associate editor of Evidence-Based Oncology, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care, will serve a 1-year term beginning in January.

Stark realities exposed by the pandemic have led some to advocate for redirecting resources to have the most impact on vulnerable populations.

The authors wrote that in states that expanded Medicaid health insurance coverage in 2014, there was an increase of early-stage colon cancer diagnoses compared with states that did not implement expansion.

Patients with COVID-19 and end-stage renal disease were 11 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital than patients without kidney disease.

Integrated health system specialty pharmacies provide specialized services to patients, resulting in high rates of adherence to and financial assistance with specialty disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

This study presents information regarding the decisions that health care privacy officers make about reporting a data breach, including factors that can affect the decision process, such as personal/organizational knowledge, prior breach status, and framed scenarios.

The problem of violence against health care workers has escalated across the world, and tackling this issue requires the support of administrators.

The panel was charged with deciding if the benefits of the vaccine outweighs the risks, paving the way for the possibility that immunizations could begin within days.

We must rethink our one-size-fits-all approach to social determinants of health interventions and instead target patients who truly need and would benefit from these interventions.

What people believe about health and public health, although challenged before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is even more crucial now as vaccine distribution efforts could soon begin.

This episode of Managed Care Cast is a preview of an interview with Michael E. Chernew, PhD, and A. Mark Fendrick, MD, the co-editors-in-chief of The American Journal of Managed Care®, which appears in the December issue of the journal.

With leading health experts warning of a grim few months ahead as the pandemic continues to rage, and as a vaccine launch grows more imminent, this 3-part series explores the impact of existing health disparities on COVID-19 and some potential solutions.

Overall survival from early breast cancer has steadily been increasing; however, simultaneous increases in obesity and obesity-related comorbidities may have contributed to the survival disparity seen between these patient groups.

Bill Kramer, MBA, is the executive director for National Health Policy at Pacific Business Group on Health.

Managed care pharmacists can influence several aspects of care in Parkinson disease, particularly through determining clinical pathways and educating patients and providers on novel agents coming to market.

Updating guidelines requires having sufficient information on the elements that are your focus, noted Dan Ouellette, MD, MS, FCCP, senior staff physician and director of the Respiratory Ward at Henry Ford Hospital.