Health Care Delivery

To guide its growth and its forays into home-based care, SCAN Group recently announced a Diversification Advisory Council, a group of 6 leaders from inside and outside health care with expertise in health care technology, reimbursement, and consumer engagement.

Phase 3 findings of the DISCOVER-2 trial presented at the 2021 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting indicated that guselkumab (Tremfya) provided long-term improvement in joint manifestations, disease activity, and physical function among patients with psoriatic arthritis who had no prior biologic treatment.

For select patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, an academic urban hospital implemented an observation pathway that incorporated mobile health technology, reducing hospital length of stay by more than 2 days.

Adriaan Voors, MD, professor of cardiology and director of the Heart Failure Clinic, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, addresses the lack of prescribing for sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors during hospitalization for acute heart failure by highlighting their benefits and that they are part of guideline-directed treatment.

Neck circumference may serve as a suitable alternative to waist circumference when gauging cardiometabolic risks, outside of body mass index and waist circumference, among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

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.

Appeals court affirms decision to place a hold on the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large employers; rising Medicare premiums linked with controversial Alzheimer drug; 3 states expand COVID-19 booster shot eligibility to all adults.

Emergency department utilization for nonemergent ophthalmic conditions is on the rise in the United States, but presentation types vary significantly based on patient demographics, according to 2 posters presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2021 meeting.

Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, explains the connections between health care equity and advances in treatment for heart failure and how the United States' policy and science agenda can address them.

A discussion at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2021 Virtual Congress: Biomarkers in Solid Tumors addressed the advantages and considerations for broad and targeted genomic profiling in oncology.

Real-world patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were shown to exhibit impaired efficacy with guselkumab treatment if they had history of prior biologic use, particularly anti-interleukin (IL)-17 exposure, with heavier patients linked with delayed onset of therapeutic response.

Leslie Kantor, PhD, MPH, chair and professor of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health, discusses the key messages that people need to hear about the continued importance of the flu vaccine, even if they have been immunized for COVID-19.

Recent research from the United Kingdom sought to understand more about factors that may impact the location of death for patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Theresa Juday, RPh, director, Specialty Product Development, CVS Health, speaks about the barriers affecting uptake of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first-line treatment for insomnia.

Michael E. Chernew, PhD, co-editor-in-chief of The American Journal of Managed Care®, discussed cost and sustainability issues specific to commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid at the National Alliance 2021 Annual Forum held in a hybrid format in Washington, DC.

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.

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.

Adults with atopic dermatitis were shown to be at lower risk of developing asthma if they were vaccinated against influenza, particularly those who adhered to yearly shots.

The report suggests childcare concerns could be a significant factor keeping Black women from attending weekly workshops.

Findings of a real-world, single-center study indicated that apremilast was effective and safe long-term in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Abi Sundaramoorthy, MD, MBA, executive vice president of clinical enterprise at Somatus, on fragmented care in chronic kidney disease, its disproportionate impact on minority communities, and the potential of value-based arrangements to address disparities and promote preventive, effective care.

Pfizer and BioNTech expect to seek emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 booster vaccine in all adults 18 years and older; the Biden administration urges appeals court to not block employer vaccine mandate; nearly 8 in 10 Americans believe or are unsure of false COVID-19 information.

Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology, director of clinical research and patch testing, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, discusses the involvement of the JAK/STAT pathway in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

Findings of an abstract presented at CHEST 2021 indicated that antidepressant use was associated with increased REM sleep latency and a complete lack of REM sleep, which may contribute to the poorer quality-of-life scores observed in these patients.

Richard Wasserman, MD, PhD, an allergist and immunologist with Allergy Partners of North Texas, an early adopter of food allergy oral immunotherapy (OIT), discusses how attitudes have changed around the practice.

To avoid bankrupting health care, providers must carefully consider how they use biologics in patients with severe asthma, according to a presenter at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

Conference abstracts explored the relationship between serum phosphate levels on mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cost burdens for employers as patients transition to end-stage renal disease.

While low- and middle-income countries remain desperate for a COVID-19 vaccine, the United States has entered a dangerous new phase of the pandemic, where antivaccine forces are exporting their antiscience beliefs to other countries, according to a keynote speaker at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

The higher waitlist mortality for liver transplant among children with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with hepatoblastoma (HBL) indicates a need to improve prioritization for children with HCC.

With new and expected future options for treating atopic dermatitis (AD), including an injectable biologic and an oral small molecule inhibitor, which is preferred and which makes the most sense for patients?