Health Care Delivery

This week, the Center on Health Equity & Access covered artificial intelligence, diabetes clinical trials, racial disparities in cancer antigen thresholds, and more.

Despite widespread concern following the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, researchers found no significant changes nationwide in obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN) practice locations.

Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, spoke about the upcoming oral arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court regarding the Braidwood case, which would determine how preventive services are guaranteed insurance coverage.

Sam Peasah, PhD, MBA, RPh, director of High-Value Health Care Value-Based Pharmacy Initiatives at UPMC Health Plan, discusses ways that health plans can help reduce the cost burden of medications to improve adherence.

Health care disparities are often driven by where patients live, explained Antoine Keller, MD, as he discussed the complex, systematic hurdles that influence the health of rural communities.

Pierluigi Porcu, MD, speaks to the considerations clinicians need to account for to balance cost, patient experience, and outcomes for those with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

From Crohn disease to uncomplicated urinary tract infections and beyond, the FDA issued several high-impact drug approvals last month.

Recent advances have marked a turning point for the treatment noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with more therapies on the horizon to hopefully better address patients' cirrhosis, explained Naim Alkhouri, MD.

As drug denials increase, experts discuss the importance of optimizing data to keep up with these changes and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the burden on providers and ensure patient access to care and treatment.

Missy Hopson, PhD, Ochsner Health, discussed in detail the challenges of strengthening the patient-centered workforce, the power of community reputation for encouraging health care careers, and the influence of empowered workforces on patient outcomes.

The executive order targets lower drug prices through Medicare reforms, anticompetitive crackdowns, and transparency mandates.

JC Scott, CEO and president of The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, discusses current efforts in increasing biosimilar adoption and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform.

Elizabeth Grush, MBA, speaks to the support, benefits, and holistic considerations that patient-centered care can provide for the betterment of patient experiences and outcomes.

Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.

While findings around hospital and emergency department use were similar at the individual and neighborhood levels, the use of outpatient services differed.

The electronic health record (EHR)–based symptom inventory identified symptom prevalence and associated comorbidities, but no ovarian cancers were diagnosed during the study period.

Abstracts featured at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meeting highlighted the renoprotective benefits of SGLT2 inhibitors in heart failure and diabetic kidney disease while emphasizing the need for strategies to increase their uptake in primary care.

A recent review highlights the gaps in clinical guidelines and treatment approaches for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and looks ahead to the future promise of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for liver conditions.

Tirzepatide is approved for 3 indications in the US: type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, participated on the panel discussion, “Health Equity in Cancer Care Delivery,” during the January Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event, “Elevating Value in Cancer Care: Nashville.”

While artificial intelligence (AI) use in health care is currently limited to administrative tasks, Erin Weber, MS, explains that expanding its adoption will require greater collaboration, transparency, and trust among stakeholders.

From the potential impact of tariffs to the World Health Organization's year-long campaign launch focused on improving maternal and newborn health and addressing preventable deaths, here's the latest from the Center on Health Equity & Access.

Findings from a new study reveal how hurricanes and the pandemic disrupted colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings in Puerto Rico, leading to a rise in late-stage diagnoses.

Kenny Cole, MD, of Ochsner Health, spoke to the value integrated teams bring to health care and the obstacles that hinder health systems' ability to move toward integrated care approaches.

This study found no evidence that hospital employment of physicians resulted in physicians treating sicker patients, undercutting claims that hospital-employed physicians serve a higher-acuity patient mix.