Center on Health Equity & Access

This week, the Center on Health Equity and Access covers news related to AI integration, disparities in pediatric hospitalizations, new advancements presented at the 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference, and an expert discussion on the cardiovascular field.

There are effective strategies that can be employed concurrently to promote adherence to medications for schizophrenia, including but not limited to pharmacological, technological, and psychosocial interventions.

Data presented at the recent American Thoracic Society 2024 international conference identified the top barriers to lung cancer screening in Asian Americans, and common risk factors among this population.

Ronesh Sinha, MD, attributes the rising rates of heart disease to sedentary lifestyles, stress, and health inequities, while advocating for digital health solutions to improve preventive care.

Presenters from CMS and the CDC explored the importance of standardizing health equity data collection at the 2024 CMS Health Equity Conference.

Black children with asthma are disproportionately exposed to asthma triggers and access barriers, according to one study.

This study identifies limited engagement with equity among academic medical centers as they develop governance processes for artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning and predictive technologies.

This editorial discusses positions for academic medical centers to consider when designing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Despite diversity enrollment goals, clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) often enroll fewer patients among underrepresented racial groups; nicotine alternatives used in vapes may be more potent and addictive than nicotine itself; telehealth company Ro built a drug supply tracker to help patients find available doses of GLP-1 drugs.

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, Nihar Desai, MD, MPH, cardiologist and vice chief of Cardiology at the Yale School of Medicine, discusses therapies for cardiovascular conditions as they relate to patient adherence, polypharmacy, and health access.

A US study found that a commercially available artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for breast cancer screening produced more false-positives in Black patients and people with denser breasts, highlighting the importance of diverse datasets in training AI algorithms to reduce health care disparities.

Scientists are worried that fertilized hen eggs remain the main ingredient for the H5N1 bird flu vaccine; an increased risk of preterm delivery and stillbirth exists in the US due to the worsening climate; health care executives are discussing whether they should bring in outside consultants or hire more employees in preparation for cyberattacks.

Among the many topics discussed at the American Thoracic Society 2024 International Conference (ATS 2024), the majority touched on barriers to health equity and access, regardless of the key focus of each talk or study. Experts examined this within the field, emphasizing the importance of enhancing data diversity, modernizing diagnostic tools, and revising regulatory standards to promote equitable health outcomes for diverse populations.

According to data from HHS' Office of Minority Health, Asian Americans are 60% less likely to utilize mental health services, even though 16.8% of those in the community experience mental illness.

The Center on Health Equity & Access offered novel insights on transgender health and pulmonary medicine with late-breaking data and expert interviews from the American Thoracic Society annual meeting.

HHS officials are moving forward with a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of H5N1 avian flu vaccine; Novo Nordisk’s long-acting insulin had a greater risk of excessively lowering patients’ blood sugar without offering better sugar level management; Los Angeles County launched an ambitious effort to tackle medical debt.

The data refute the rapid-onset gender dysphoria hypothesis by showing that the initially higher depressive symptoms reported by youths transitioning from cisgender to transgender or gender diverse were not significant after accounting for exposure to LGBT violence, the researchers wrote.

In a scientific session at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2024 International Conference titled "An Inconvenient Truth: Health Disparities and Health Care Inequality in Respiratory Medicine," a number of experts discussed the various areas within the field that are impacted by disparities.

Julie Linton, MD, FAAP, immediate past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health, discussed disparities within health care services impacting immigrant populations in the United States.

During a session at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2024 International Conference, experts presented the most impactful data from the last year on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), childhood asthma, health equity, and lung cancer.

Fatima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, from Stanford University, and Matthew DeCamp, MD, PhD, from the University of Colorado, joined Michael Howell, MD, MPH, of Google, on the stage at ATS 2024 to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.

The results of T1International’s 2022 Out-of-Pocket Expenses survey highlight many huge inequities in the US and around the world relating to insulin and diabetes care supplies.

The US Senate hosted a panel addressing physician and health care shortages and efforts to increase minority representation in the medical field. An expert discussed initiatives to prevent senior homelessness. Advocates called for the repeal of the Comstock Act. Regulatory reforms are called for to improve rural cancer patients' access to pharmacies. Research reveals the impact of denials on patient access to immunology treatments.

In a joint letter addressed to Congress, Healthcare Across Borders, Take Back the Court Action Fund, and UltraViolet Action called out the resurgence of the Comstock Act, urging immediate action to repeal this century-old law that threatens reproductive rights and public health in the US.

The senate hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana), addressed the critical issue of physician and health care worker shortages, as well as the maternal health crisis, in the US.