Center on Health Equity & Access

Stephen M. Schleicher, MD, MBA, Tennessee Oncology, co-authored a recent paper on the complexities of the rural cancer experience; the principal conclusion was potential for a streamlined care process to optimize care efficiencies and access, thereby improving patient outcomes.

A panel at Asembia 2023 discussed what their organizations are doing to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at their organizations, and what others can learn from these efforts.

Study investigators stress the importance of health care professionals familiarizing themselves with risk factors among a more diverse patient population.

Investigators said data show social factors are intertwined with health outcomes.

This subanalysis of data from the VIRGO study encompassed 2979 patients who had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack, between ages 18 and 55 years; outcomes evaluated included all-cause and cause-specific acute events requiring hospitalization in the year after discharge for a heart attack.

Optimal care that should be offered to all patients includes not only pain relief but also a complete pelvic exam and a discussion about the many options that are available for fibroids and endometriosis, including minimally invasive, organ-conserving surgery, said Linda D. Bradley, MD, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic.

It is likely that social determinants of health (SDOH) may affect the differences in outcomes from multiple sclerosis (MS) that we see among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx populations, absent more data on their genetics and ancestry, noted Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN.

Several presentations at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from April 30 through May 4, will cover how to address health equity concerns in specialty pharmacy care, the expansion of the biosimilars market, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the US health care system.

Much more work needs to be done surrounding multiple sclerosis (MS) and treating pregnant patients safely, noted Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN, medical director and CEO, Joi Life Wellness Neurology Clinic.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we feature several leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion advancing health equity in their respective organization’s policy and practice initiatives.

Nicole Rosendale, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, neurologist/neurohospitalist, talks about how data on the LGBTQ+ community in the neurology space is needed in order to provide effective value-based health care.

There are limited data on potential disparities in dementia medication use in the outpatient setting, with study authors highlighting that the benefits of these medications are not equitably distributed along racial and ethnic lines because of usage differences.

Nicole Rosendale, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, neurologist/neurohospitalist, discusses how many unknowns prevail in data concerning neurologic care for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Terminology and concepts relevant to the care of transgender and gender-diverse individuals and best practices for optimizing neurologic care in this patient population were covered in the session “Neurologic Conditions in Transgender Patients” on Sunday, April 23, at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting.

The investigators of this study wanted to know if hospitals that cared for a high proportion of Black patients delivered care for heart failure (HF) that differed in quality from that provided by other hospitals.

In several abstracts presented at this year's American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, Mitzi Joi Williams, MD, FAAN, Joi Life Wellness Neurology Clinic, explores multiple sclerosis–related outcomes in diverse patient populations.

Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, under secretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), sat for a conversation with our hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, Tennessee Oncology, that covered the cancer footprint of the VHA.

Lack of knowledge about how skin conditions present on lightly pigmented skin has resulted in diagnostic delays, underassessment, and an impact on quality of life for patients with skin of color.

Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support at the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the benefits of collecting social determinants of health data for both the patient and provider.

The CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates discusses challenges with the proposed Enhancing Oncology Model.

Reducing health care disparities may require shifting from providing equal care to providing equitable care.

Not only are Black and Brown communities, as well as neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status, disproportionately impacted by climate change, but these communities are not as readily able to adapt to mitigate the impacts climate change has on health.

Construction of a composite measure, use of a summary disparity statistic, and measure selection are key considerations in the design of equity-focused payment programs.

Sashi Naidu, MD, is director of research at Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, where the No One Left Alone (NOLA) initiative is working to break down cancer health disparities among its patients and prevent care fragmentation.