Healthcare Cost

ACHP President, CEO Ceci Connolly Discusses 2021 Affordability Report

November 23rd 2021, 5:00pm

Podcast

The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) recently released its 2021 Report on Affordability. In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the organization about the steps that its payer members are taking to lower costs through offerings such as virtual-first care, remote patient monitoring, and other new products, some of which were created because of the pandemic.

AMCP Nexus Survey: Two-Thirds of Payers Use Biosimilars to Manage Oncology Drug Costs

November 23rd 2021, 4:00pm

Article

As the cost of oncology drugs increases, there has been a growing pressure to manage oncology drug spend, which some payers have done by establishing preferred therapies, including biosimilars.

With No Replacement for OCM on Horizon, Oncology Practices Ask: What Now?

November 22nd 2021, 1:45pm

Article

The announcement of a "strategic refresh" for payment models under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation offered no details on what practices should expect when the Oncology Care Model (OCM) expires in 2022.

Greater Work Impairment, Comorbidity Burden Linked With Concomitant Psoriasis, PsA

November 20th 2021, 7:00pm

Article

Findings presented at the 2021 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting showed that patients with concomitant psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) reported greater incidence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as a higher likelihood of work inability than those with only psoriasis.

US Oncology Network, Tennessee Oncology Tout Medicare OCM Savings

November 20th 2021, 4:38pm

Article

A report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation confirmed that practices within the US Oncology Network and Tennessee Oncology participating in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) program have contributed significant savings to the agency.

Use of Price Transparency Tool Reveals Clues About Health Care Consumers’ Shopping Behavior

November 18th 2021, 3:00pm

Podcast

Investigators drew insights about consumers’ health care shopping behavior by analyzing use of an online price transparency tool.

COA Reports Improved Biosimilar Access in Oncology

November 15th 2021, 4:15pm

Article

For trastuzumab and bevacizumab, biosimilars now represent a high share of administrations, but payer policies still hinder uptake of these products, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) reports.

Uveitic Macular Edema Increases Costs Among Patients With Noninfectious Uveitis

November 12th 2021, 3:40pm

Article

Uveitic macular edema is common in patients with noninfectious uveitis, and its significant burden on patients and payers warrants more specific treatment guidelines to minimize quality-of-life and economic effects.

Contributor: When It Comes to Maternal Health, States Can Be Health Plans’ North Star

November 11th 2021, 1:30pm

Article

States are turning to alternative payment models to improve outcomes and reduce health care expenditures, representing a critical step forward specifically for the US maternal health crisis.

Anticholinergic Polypharmacy in Medicare Not Common but Still Problematic, Study Says

November 10th 2021, 7:35pm

Article

The share of patients meeting the definition of polypharmacy for the condition of overactive bladder declined from 2006 to 2017, but the phenomenon was still prevalent in women and patients in nursing homes, according to a recent study.