Center on Health Equity & Access

A poster presented at AMCP Nexus 2023 reported that payers believe implementing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will impact Medicare Part D plans financially.

April Armstrong, MD, MPH, of University of California, Los Angeles, explained that the main health care gap within the atopic dermatitis (AD) realm is that many clinicians are not comfortable prescribing systemic medications.

Miriam J. Atkins, MD, FACP, president of the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the challenges facing oncology today, such as physician and nurse recruitment and minority clinical trial enrollment.

Timothy O'Shea, PharmD, MS, discussed the most surprising findings from a home infusion pilot program and explained how he thinks home infusion will continue to evolve.

Recognizing that skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa present differently in skin of color can prevent delays in diagnosis and treatment, explained James Song, MD, director of clinical research and associate chief medical officer at Frontier Dermatology.

“There are things more important than our discomfort, and there are things that are more important than even our fear—inclusion is more important,” said Erica Marsh, MD, MSCI. “Our care of our patients and loved ones is more important, and our existence tomorrow has to be more important than our fears today.”

Three US senators asked the Social Security Administration to respond to a report saying it reduced or suspended benefits for those who received COVID-19 relief payments; mifepristone, a drug taken to help manage miscarriages, remains widely unavailable to patients experiencing pregnancy loss; pharmaceutical companies are beginning trials to get weight-loss shots approved for patients with obesity 6 years and older.

Peter A. Lio, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, addresses how dermatologists need to focus on patient needs when determining the best use of new biologics in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

Saira Jan, PharmD, MS, of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, discussed the primary findings of their collaborative pilot program with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJ Barnabas Health, focusing on patient and provider experiences.

Study investigators note their meta-analysis may be the first to demonstrate the importance of interventions to support adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer.

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, a distinguished infertility specialist, highlights the pivotal role of cultural humility, diversity, acknowledgment of historical injustices, and collective action in addressing disparities and fostering equitable access to health care.

Chelsee Jensen, PharmD, BCPS, of Mayo Clinic, commented on the recent FDA biosimilar approvals and what they mean for the industry's future, as well as how to ensure biosimilars are accessible to all patients.

In the aftermath of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, Anita Allen, PhD, highlights the challenges to abortion rights in the United States, emphasizing disparities faced by marginalized communities, outlining threats to reproductive health care, and calling for collective action and advocacy to defend constitutional privacy and uphold the dignity of all individuals.

Two posters presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2023 Scientific Congress & Expo address racial and socioeconomic factors that impact fertility and birth outcomes.

Panelists at AMCP Nexus provided an overview of the US obesity epidemic, dispelling myths about the causes of obesity, highlighting racial and economic disparities across the nation, and tackling how the managed care space can ensure accessibility to care for all patients.

"The racial and ethnic distribution of United States sperm donors differs significantly from the United States population, particularly for those of African American or Black descent,” Cassie Hobbs, MD, explained.

Wiyatta Fahnbulleh, PsyD, and Pamela Blackwell, PsyD, LMSW, presented on the cultural limitations of the Personality Assessment Inventory and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for assessing individuals for third-party reproduction.

Nearly 50% of pregnancies worldwide are unplanned, leading to significant health, economic, and environmental consequences, Stephanie Page, MD, PhD, explains in her presentation at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2023 Scientific Congress & Expo.

School nurses play an overworked and understaffed role; Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda (pembroilzumab) has been granted approval for pre- and postsurgical treatment in lung cancer; the FDA is helping to curb tobacco-related health disparities.

Age played a part in the decrease in vision testing in adolescents, along with fewer reported tests in primary and school-based settings.

Alma Habib, MD, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, talks about the fact that disparities are able to be recognized in leukemia/lymphoma care, but the questions of how to address these disparities remain.

Older patients often face financial challenges on fixed incomes with different payer systems like Medicare, Sarah Wall, MD, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, says. Accessing treatment centers far away is difficult due to support system disruptions, leading to increased stress and financial strain.

A European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology study explored the pathway from dermatologic consult to diagnosis to treatment and outcomes in the health care system.

David Adamson, MD, FRCSC, FACOG, FACS, reproductive endocrinologist, surgeon, founder and CEO of ARC Fertility, and past president of The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, discusses the importance of professional guidelines in reproductive medicine.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in the year following a cancer diagnosis, the average cost of medical care plus medication exceeds $42,000, with some treatments having a price tag of more than $1 million.