Center on Health Equity & Access

The FINEARTS-HF late-breaking data were forefront at the 2024 European Society of Cardiology Congress in London.

Manisha Jhamb, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), is excited about CMS's negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for patients with kidney disease; conversely, she highlights the challenge of low kidney disease awareness.

The final report unveils actionable steps for integrating equity into health technology assessment.

The authors assessed what attributes make provider networks adequate in the eyes of consumers, including travel times, inclusive care, and language access.

Ty J. Gluckman, MD, FACC, FAHA, of Providence St. Joseph Health, reacted positively to CMS' drug price cuts under the Inflation Reduction Act, but he also expressed concerns about the potential future impact on drug innovation.

September is National Recovery Month, and we are bringing you another limited-edition month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In this first episode, we speak with Michael Lynch, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and an attending emergency physician and medical toxicologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth nationwide, revealing significant benefits while also exposing ongoing challenges.

"Now we can actually focus and look at the disease itself, treat the heart disease itself, which is the plaque in the coronary arteries, as opposed to treating the risk of disease," Amir Ahmadi, MD, Mount Sinai, says in an interview at the European Society for Cardiology Congress.

At the 25th International AIDS Conference, Emmanuel Nazaire Essam, MD, MPH, presented the analysis, "Medicaid Insurance Expansion and Its Association With HIV Outcomes in Nebraska, USA: An Observational Prospective Cohort Study."

David Thompson, PhD, Queen’s University Belfast, expands on previous research he conducted that calls for cardiovascular health care providers to actively address care inequities evident in practice and policy.

Anna Mueller, MD, and Amir Ahmadi, MD, of Mount Sinai, highlight gaps in risk assessment tools for acute coronary syndrome, calling for more comprehensive screening strategies.

After moderating an emerging science session on acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction care, Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, American College of Cardiology, discussed the growing inclusivity in clinical trials through innovative digital tools and addressed the impact of GLP-1 therapies on cardiovascular treatment.

Pregnant and postpartum women who have cardiovascular (CV) disease represent a high-risk group of patients who require specialized care and intense monitoring for optimal health of them and their baby.

While it can seem overwhelming or difficult to decide where to start addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care, the key is to focus on a manageable area that can be built upon.

Eli Lilly has introduced discounted single-dose vials of tirzepatide (Zepbound) for self-pay patients with obesity to increase accessibility.

In this interview, Sarah Manes, Global Liver Institute, explores the unique challenges faced by LGBTQI+ individuals, particularly those with disabilities, in accessing and receiving appropriate liver care.

PfizerForAll aims to help improve health care by offering telehealth services, prescription services, vaccination scheduling, and savings programs.

The closures highlight financial challenges that rural hospitals face amid workforce shortages, rising costs, and leveling reimbursement.

Aetna has become the first major US insurer to expand access to fertility services by covering intrauterine insemination as a medical benefit for all eligible plans, marking a significant move toward greater equity in family-building options for people of all backgrounds.

Social vulnerability and economic disadvantages exacerbate financial hardship in cancer survivors, according to one study.

Medicare has not clearly defined what constitutes "established cardiovascular disease," leading to variability in potential patient eligibility; therefore, researchers aimed to estimate the number of Medicare beneficiaries who would become newly eligible for semaglutide under different definitions.

Brooke Kempf, PMHNP, from Indiana University Indianapolis, discusses the importance of timely outpatient care and how innovative approaches like long-acting injectables (LAIs) are helping to bridge the gap in treatment for schizophrenia.

Learn more about the negotiated Medicare drug prices and what the FDA's rejection of therapeutic MDMA means for mental health care through expert reactions. Other highlights include pharmacy-based HIV care, gaps in care for gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and the obesity epidemic.

Disparities in hypertension brought on by neighborhood deprivation were most prominently found in Black patients.

These study authors hope their findings will inform future research on gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and close care gaps for minority patient populations.