Health Care Delivery

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?

In 2017, guidelines about when to feed peanuts to infants changed to recommend early feeding by 4 to 6 months of age depending on 3 risk levels, but these allergy prevention strategies are still not widespread, according to Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, who discussed the topic at the 2021 ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting.

Robert J. Hopkin, MD, clinical geneticist, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, speaks on the symptom burden and current therapeutic interventions available for Fabry disease.

Evidence is insubstantial for treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), but authors of a review of available evidence provide recommendations for agents and testing.

Several biomarkers identified by comprehensive genomic profiling were found to predict efficacy and toxicity of chemo-radiotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with progression-free survival and overall survival outcomes associated with some of the identified genes.

This paper reviews the status of physician assistants/associates, an essential component of the US health care workforce. The evidence of their clinical performance and utilization trends are illustrated.

Children with severe atopic dermatitis were shown to be at nearly 2-fold greater risk of both depression and internalizing behaviors, with mild disease also associated with internalizing behaviors in those as young as 4 years of age.

The authors share a model that facilitates patient-centered care and can be adopted by other health systems to encourage successful care transitions for the traveling patient.

Cost increases were particularly pronounced among patients with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the study found.

A greater proportion of biologic-naive patients with psoriatic arthritis treated with ixekizumab vs adalimumab achieved the combined endpoint of 100% resolution in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index and 50% or greater improvement in the American College of Rheumatology criteria at week 24 and 52.