Health Care Delivery

With unprecedented pauses in air pollution emissions in spring 2020 and ongoing virus mitigation behaviors around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to better understand the impact of poor air quality on human health.

While bosentan and sildenafil is a common combination therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), patients may need to transition to alternative therapy because of the potential for drug-drug interactions with this combination.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the chief strategy officer for Well Being Trust, one of the authors of a recent report about how well health insurers and state Medicaid programs are covering mental health care for children and compliance with federal law. We discuss the unique challenges that youth face, the health disparities, racism, and community trauma that has been experienced in the past year, and some creative ways that organizations and communities can consider increase access to mental health supports.

During her opening plenary at the NAACOS Spring 2021 Conference, Liz Fowler, PhD, JD, deputy administrator and director of the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, highlighted how the center is taking a pause to reassess its models and what is coming next.

With persons living with HIV increasingly succumbing to age-related diseases, a group of investigators looked into the greater risk of coronary artery disease among these individuals.

Compared with disease-modifying therapy (DMT), age, insurance status, and Hispanic ethnicity were shown to more accurately predict likelihood of COVID-19 and hospitalization from it among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Rajiv Nijhawan, MD, is associate professor of dermatology and Mohs surgeon at UT Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center and director of the UTSW High Risk Skin Cancer Transplant Clinic, both in Dallas, Texas.

Christine Ko, MD, is professor of dermatology and pathology at Yale University and a presenter of “What's New in Dermatopathology” at this year’s American Academy of Dermatology Virtual Meeting Experience (AAD VMX).

An educational nursing program can positively impact medication compliance in patients receiving oral pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapies.

Given that some patients may need to travel out of state to access CAR T sites of care, some may not have a clear understanding of their insurance benefits, including requirements for out-of-state or out-of-network treatment, as well as adequate assistance with the costs of medical-related travel.

With President Joe Biden marking his 100th day in office at the end of the month, a health policy strategist sat down for a conversation to discuss the new administration’s achievements and challenges.

Atopic dermatitis has a tremendous affect on quality of life, so it’s nice to have more options to treat patients in a different way, noted Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

Over a 14-year period, active-duty US military members reported a marked 45-fold increase in rates of insomnia and 30-fold increase in rates of obstructive sleep apnea.

Study quantifies risk of blood clots in patients with COVID-19; Biden administration aims to reverse restrictions on fetal tissue research; Michigan hospitals struggle to care for COVID-19 cases.

A poster at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2021 meeting examined the impact of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) on access to health care and resource use in the United States and the interaction of race, ethnicity, and income.

The pandemic reduced visits to specialists last year, which in turn reduced the volume of prescriptions, according to a presentation at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2021 meeting.

For some living with HIV, old wounds have reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic, explained Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies.

A report by the Harvard Business Review found a significant gap between employee needs and employer benefit offerings for treatment of physical and emotional pain, with a holistic approach associated with savings of 50% on medical claims for back and joint care.

After cases of rare and severe blood clots led to 1 death and 1 hospitalization, the CDC and FDA will pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

Several barriers continue to impede the transition to value-based payment, particularly administrative and clinical data connectivity, transparency of quality metrics and quality measures, and prioritization of social determinants of health.

Inspira Care Connect, LLC, an accountable care organization, incorporated transitional care management services into its postdischarge follow-up process to prevent avoidable utilization of health care services and costs.

The device, which highlights for gastroenterologists regions of the colon that have visual characteristics consistent with possible cancerous abnormalities, is already in use in Europe.

A high proportion of Marshallese, or Marshall Islanders, living on the mainland Unites States, have undiagnosed hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to findings that will be used to address disparities in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations.

On day 2 of this year’s Community Oncology Conference, a panel of government and health policy experts gathered to discuss the hot-button issue of political influence on cancer policy and the damage community oncology has suffered this past year.

There are many sources, and definitions, of where the value in cancer care lies. In this panel discussion, a cancer survivor and patient advocate, an oncologist, and a benefits professional provided their perspectives on what value in cancer care means to them.