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Jaime is a freelance writer for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), where she previously worked as an assistant editor.

She has a BA in print journalism from Penn State University. You can connect with Jaime on 

Articles

This analysis found that the 3000 patients with hemophilia had higher rates of pain, depression, and anxiety medication use.

Use of Pain, Depression, Anxiety Meds Higher Among Patients With Hemophilia

Former NBA star Magic Johnson has partnered with GSK to educate the public about this virus, specifically in seniors and those at high-risk for contracting a severe form of RSV.

 Raising Awareness About RSV in Older Adults

Mary is the associate editorial director for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), The Center for Biosimilars®, and Evidence-Based Oncology™. She joined AJMC® in 2013 and oversees speaker recruitment and panel preparations for AJMC®'s premier annual oncology meeting, Patient-Centered Oncology Care®.

She has a BA in communications and philosophy from Loyola University New Orleans. You can connect with Mary on 

Based on promising results, the biotech IMV has moved into phase 2b trials with a cancer vaccine composed of survivin epitopes that uses the company’s proprietary delivery system to elicit persistent immune responses.

Delivery Matters: In Early Studies, DPX Technology Allows  Vaccines to Persist When Cancer Pushes Back 

Between 2019 and 2020, there were 97 reported shortages among sponsor-reported antiseizure medications in Australia, 93% of which were generic brands.

Shortages of Antiseizure Meds Continue, More Common Among Generics: Australian Report

The American Journal of Managed Care provides insights into the latest news and research in managed care across multimedia platforms.

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High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) have gained traction in recent years as a means to reduce unnecessary health care spending. The monthly up-front premiums are low, but the high deductibles can lead to higher downstream costs for individuals and families. Potential downsides include the risk of patients deterring or avoiding necessary care.

A team headed by Matthew D. Eisenberg, PhD, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, recently investigated the impact of HDHPs through the lens of the ongoing epidemic of substance use disorder (SUD) in the United States. 

The article detailing their study’s findings

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Dr Eisenberg on his team’s findings that these plans may have reduced SUD service use through the shifting of costs to their members, thereby exacerbating this already troubling epidemic that has resulted in declines in life expectancy and increases in drug- and alcohol-related deaths.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Matthew D. Eisenberg, PhD, lead author of a study published in the October issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® that investigated the use of high-deductible health plans and their impact on substance use disorder care and spending.

High-Deductible Health Plans and Their Potential Impact on the US Drug Epidemic

Teams from the Mass General Brigham health system and the Commonwealth Care Alliance, both in Massachusetts, have collaborated on a value-based care initiative with the principal goals of improving patient clinical outcomes, reducing unnecessary health care utilization, and making care more accessible.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Jack Rowe, MD, MPH, and Lori Tishler, MD, MPH, 2 authors of “

Intensive Care Management of a Complex Medicaid Population: A Randomized Evaluation

,” published in the September issue of 

. Their findings on the effectiveness of the iCMP PLUS (Patients Linked to Urgent Support) program show that reaching high-risk patients in their communities with tailored interventions can reduce unnecessary medical expenses and health care utilization, as well as the value of partnerships between academic medical centers and community-based primary care.

Listen above or through one of these podcast services:

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with 2 authors of an article in the September issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, which focused on the results of their evaluation of an intensive, community-based care management program for dual-eligible Medicaid ACO high-risk patients.

The Importance of Tailored Care Management Programs for High-risk Patients

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed this month, extends the premium tax credits for health insurance purchased through the health care marketplace for another 2 years. The credits were included in

the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and were due to expire at the end of this year.

Vicki Fung, PhD, is associate investigator at the Mongan Institute Health Policy Center, Mass General Research Institute, and lead author of “

Premium Tax Credits in the American Rescue Plan and Off-Marketplace Enrollees

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, she details how the expanded premium tax credits help individuals purchasing insurance coverage through the marketplace. She also addresses the important ways these plans differ from employee-purchased coverage and the benefits and drawbacks of each and the difficulties involved when deciding whether or not to switch coverage.

This interview was conducted prior to President Joe Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of an article in the August issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about the premium tax credits for health insurance purchased through the health care marketplace, which were recently extended for another 2 years with the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Understanding the Premium Tax Credits Provided Under the American Rescue Plan Act

At this year’s annual AHIP meeting, Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, participated in a keynote panel discussion on championing health and well-being for all Americans.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we caught up with Dr Benjamin after his session to further discuss key policy, investment, and community engagement efforts in promoting health equity, as well as hear his thoughts on the public health implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down the concealed gun law in New York.

AHIP Institute & Expo

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.

Promoting Equity in Public Health: Policy, Investment, and Community Engagement Solutions

In January of this year, entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban launched a direct-to-consumer pharmacy called the 

, promising savings by eliminating middlemen and charging cost plus 15% and a pharmacy fee. What if Medicare could do the same? On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with a researcher who coauthored a study out this week that looked at the savings to Medicare Part D if the same model had been employed for some of the most used generic drugs.

Hussain S. Lalani, MD, MPH, an internist and one of the coauthors, discussed the findings of the paper, published Monday in the 

. The analysis compared the price paid by Medicare Part D plans in 2020 with the price of 89 generic drugs sold by the pharmacy in 2022.

The researchers, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, used the price paid by Medicare Part D plans in 2020 and looked at the price of 89 generic drugs sold by the pharmacy in 2022.

After adjusting for changes in drug costs between 2020 and 2022, the researchers found that Medicare paid more on 77 of the 89 generic drugs: $8.1 billion compared with $4.5 billion. Medicare would have saved as much as $3.6 billion over 1 year.

Listen to an excerpt of the interview above or through one of these podcast services:

How much would have Medicare saved if it had the same ability to purchase generic drugs at the same price as individuals using direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacies like the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company? Billions, as it turns out. 


Generic Drug Savings Possibilities: $3.6 Billion to Medicare Using DTC Pricing

In 2018, the FDA approved a record 66 novel drugs. Among them were cancer treatments, orphan drugs for 

, drugs under expedited review, and biosimilars. However, access to each of these drugs for patients covered by different health plans was not uniform.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Ari D. Panzer, BS, a master of public policy candidate at Duke University, and lead author of “

Patients’ Access to 2018 FDA-Approved Drugs 1 Year Post Approval

,” which was published in the April issue of 

He delves into why it’s important to ensure patients receive optimal treatment and maximize their outcomes, understanding why health plans vary in their coverage decisions despite having access to the same evidence, and the difficulty of striking the right balance between drug access, cost, and coverage to ensure patients can get the drug therapies they require when appropriate.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ari D. Panzer, BS, lead author and researcher, then at Tufts Medical Center—now at Duke University—discusses the findings from his team’s investigation into coverage decisions by health plan insurers of the 66 drugs approved by the FDA in 2018.

Exploring Payer Coverage Decisions Following FDA Novel Drug Approvals

Entering its 51st year, the American Kidney Fund has made it its mission to help all patients affected by 

 (CKD), which is the fastest-growing noncontagious disease in the United States: from those at risk for chronic kidney disease through patients requiring dialysis and/or transplant. First and foremost is uncovering the primary cause of their kidney failure. Unfortunately, for 14% of low-income patients, the origins of their CKD remain a medical mystery.

In December of 2020, the American Kidney Fund convened the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Summit, bringing together government agencies, industry, patients, researchers, and rare disease organizations, hoping that by helping underserved patients get to the root cause of their kidney disease, they could also help solve this mystery for a broader patient population. From this, a roadmap was born for what would become the 

, launched in mid-2021, with goals that include advocating for equitable kidney disease care, educating and empowering patients through culturally competent information, and overcoming financial and communication barriers to treatment.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Mike Spigler, vice president of patient support and education for the American Kidney Fund, who is spearheading the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Project. He addresses why patients are the key to all the American Kidney Fund hopes to accomplish, using the organization’s voice to address rare kidney diseases, and emphasizing the necessity of policy change for care coverage support, including for genetic testing.

Chronic kidney disease is the fastest-growing noncontagious disease in the United States. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Mike Spigler, vice president of patient support and education for the American Kidney Fund, who is spearheading the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease Project, which aims to help underserved patients get to the root cause of their kidney disease, while also helping to solve this mystery for a broader patient population.

Advocating for All Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

An unprecedented level of detail and robustness around interoperability standards is on its way, and on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Donald Rucker, MD, the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in HHS, about what the opportunities and responsibilities for payers are.



The change is precipitated by 2020 rulemaking regarding the 21st Century Cures Act requirement regarding application programming interfaces. The new requirement will enable access to patient-level data across a patient population, allowing for more analysis that can inform clinical decisions, track those decisions to costs, and even influence future policy.

Rucker, who received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and also has an MBA in business and an MS in medical computer science and informatics from Stanford University, is currently chief strategy officer at 1upHealth.

An unprecedented level of detail and robustness around interoperability standards is on its way, and on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Donald Rucker, MD, the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in HHS, about what the opportunities and responsibilities for payers are.

What’s Coming Up Next in Interoperability With Dr Donald Rucker

, one of 13 states that fall within the Appalachian region of the United States, the current overall poverty rate is 10.6%, giving the state a 10th place ranking on a list of the top 10 states with the lowest poverty rates. However, the average poverty rate of the southwest corner of the state, which includes the 6 counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Lee, Scott, and Wise, is double that of the state, at 21.9%.

Supported entirely by grants and donations, 

 has been providing free health care services for the often medically underserved and indigent individuals—who are either underinsured or uninsured—in this part of Virginia for more than 4 decades.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with The Health Wagon’s President and CEO Teresa Tyson, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, and Clinical Director Paula Hill-Collins, DNP, MSN, FAANP, to learn more about the often urgent services they provide, to discover how the not-for-profit innovates care through culturally sensitive services for its rural residents, and to discuss the importance of health care equity.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Teresa Tyson, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, and Paula Hill-Collins, DNP, MSN, FAANP, discuss how The Health Wagon, a free mobile-based and nurse-managed clinic, provides accessible health care to rural residents in Virginia's Appalachian region.