Health Care Delivery

Kristine Slam, MD, FACP, Central Ohio Surgical Associates, addresses the importance of involving patients in decisions regarding their goals for treatment, emphasizing that this involvement is critical to uncover what they value, as well as their short- and long-term goals for treatment.

Medicare Advantage star ratings reveal shifts in plan quality and performance; Rite Aid seeks debt reduction and restructures amid financial challenges; workers secure improved wages and staffing

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy prior to surgery, followed by resection and single-agent pembrolizumab in the adjuvant setting, significantly improved overall survival (OS) vs neoadjuvant placebo plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant placebo in patients with resectable stage II, IIIA, or IIIB (T3-4N2) non–small cell lung cancer, meeting the dual primary end point of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-671 trial.

Age, fecal calprotectin level, toxin B polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold, immunosuppression, sex, and creatinine levels were identified as independent risk factors for developing recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection.

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.

Patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) had decreased quality of life (QOL) and worse fatigue that could be linked to lactate dehydrogenase levels.

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.

Analysis of a single-specialty practice’s scheduled appointments and reviews of physicians finds that 1-star ratings have a limited but longitudinal influence on new patient volume.

Positive results from STEP-HFpEF indicate that semaglutide can improve quality of life and functional capacity in patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but large outcomes trials are needed to confirm this, said Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of remote cancer care, in which notable gaps in care should be addressed, according to a new study.

The preoperative risk assessment algorithm can identify ovarian lesions with a strong likelihood of being non-cancerous and suitable for ovary-preserving surgery.

Modest spending on integrated mental health services in primary care, facilitated by use of new collaborative care billing codes, did not increase overall health care costs.

Director Takiyah Durham, MBA, and Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, share how the program is improving maternal and infant care in Pittsburgh, PA, at Highmark Health.

Both the second and first patients dosed in the study received the lower of the 2 doses of the gene therapy that Taysha Gene Therapies is evaluating in the phase 1/2 REVEAL trial.

Compared with White patients, Black male patients had a higher prevalence of palmoplantar psoriasis, according to one study.

During a podcast hosted by Permanente Medicine, Sandra Fryhofer, MD, chair-elect of the Board of Trustees for the American Medical Association and a liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, discussed the importance of vaccines for the fall and winter seasons.

Fabric Health is transforming laundry time into an opportunity for community well-being, engaging families in laundromats to address health needs and connecting them with health care experts and needed social services. Adaptable and problem-solving oriented, the social-impact startup helps to bridge pandemic-exacerbated disparities by meeting people where they are, fostering health equity.

Significant increases in clinical staging for colorectal cancer were found when evaluating the extended timeframes beyond pre– and post–COVID-19 periods.

Blood tests offer a less invasive and more accessible means of detecting Alzheimer disease; Democrats address a year-long Adderall shortage; A new study shows significantly improved clinical outcomes in Type 2 diabetes management with a digital behavioral therapy app.

Patient comorbidities should be considered when prescribing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV to avoid comedication drug toxicities.

In this prospective study, respiratory monitoring of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) benefited from the use of diaphragm ultrasound imaging.

Following the switch from natalizumab, patients with multiple sclerosis on anti-CD20 therapies like rituximab demonstrated significant reductions in annualized relapse rate.

A commentary questions the characterization of cryoprecipitate, which is not pathogen-reduced, as an alternative modality for treating hemophilia, despite its substantial risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens to patients.