Health Care Delivery

An overview of the oncology clinical pathways development program at the UPMC CancerCenter and how it led to the creation of Via Oncology, a clinical pathways vendor.

What we're reading, April 15, 2016: troubling disparities in access to preventive care remain; new test to choose the right hepatitis C medication could save money; and upcoming loss of exclusivity for some drugs could mean big savings for the healthcare system.

Patients encountering high deductibles regarding medication in their Affordable Care Act plans can seek assistance from drug manufacturers by using copay programs, said Daniel J. Klein, president and CEO of the Patient Access Network Foundation.

Representatives from 3 clinics that successfully participated in the Commission on Cancer accreditation process for the Oncology Medical Home model participated in a panel discussion on the first day of The Community Oncology Conference: Innovation in Cancer Care.

On the first day of The Community Oncology Conference: Innovation in Cancer Care, held in Orlando, Florida, April 13-15, 2016, oncologists discussed how their practices are coping with the transition toward quality- and value-based reimbursement.

What we're reading, April 14, 2016: House passes bill to speed up approval for Zika virus vaccines; spending on prescription brand name drugs grew just 2.8% in 2015; and Maine Senate passes measure to expand Medicaid.

The rise in employee cost-sharing for healthcare predates Obamacare but has taken off since the law passed in 2010. Higher deductibles have been accompanied by stagnant wages, ensuring that the higher payments are deeply felt.

In preparation for the Spring Live Meeting of the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition, 2 speakers who will be at the meeting will participate in 2 30-minute tweetchats.

We offer recommendations for the development and design of clinical pathways in an effort to establish a set of normative criteria that creates trust and transparency.

Potential modifications to the risk-adjustment model used for the Affordable Care Act commercial plans could improve the model and appropriately compensate plans that enroll sicker enrollees.

Changes with insurance products have led to more costs being shifted to consumers and they are having very mixed emotions when faced with high-deductible health plans, explained Niteesh Choudhry, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Policy decisions can influence whether communities are supportive of or detrimental to community health and well-being. Such housing policies can also play important roles in reducing or even preventing diseases.

Clinical pathways have been emphasized as a means to deliver efficient, quality care and to ensure better outcomes at lower costs. The Oncology Medical Home takes this to the next, more comprehensive, step of quantifying and improving quality and value in cancer care while lowering overall costs.

What we're reading, April 11, 2016: UnitedHealth calls it quits for 2 Obamacare state exchanges; study finds disparities across country in lifespans of low-income people; and Hillary Clinton and PhRMA agree on one proposal to curb drug costs.

Hurricane Katrina revealed the gaps in public health services in New Orleans, especially for those living in poverty, said Charlotte Parent, director of health of the New Orleans Health Department.

States can greatly improve access to behavioral health services for residents by expanding Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act, HHS reported.

A preliminary briefing document expresses concerns over clinical benefit over existing treatments, safety, and overall risk-benefit of the drug for the subset of lung cancer patients for whom the drug has been developed.

What we're reading, April 7, 2016: hospitals will help Louisiana pay for Medicaid expansion; Pfizer considers splitting the company after deal with Allergan falls through; and Pfizer gets 300 lawsuits dismissed.

Systems failures frustrate women who seek access to evidence-based, cost-effective contraceptive care.

What we're reading, April 6, 2016: the federal government could be doing more to alert uninsured individuals about their eligibility for subsidies; the White House will transfer leftover Ebola funds to combat the Zika virus; and Senate companion bill to 21st Century Cures Act is almost done.

People who enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan after enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have higher rates of disease and received significantly more medical care compared with those enrolled before the ACA was enacted.

In order to combat a projected budget gap of $3.8 billion, Connecticut state employees were provided the opportunity to enroll in a program using value-based insurance benefit design concepts.

A new study by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research has found that visits by trained community health workers improved screening rates for breast cancer among Latino women.

What we're reading: California will open Medi-Cal to all low-income children regardless of immigration status; Arizona governor signs bill to follow earlier FDA guidelines for abortion-inducing drug; and the loss of 2 Obamacare provisions could result in increased premiums in 2017.

The National Pharmaceutical Council has released a set of guiding principles on specific elements that should be included in value assessment frameworks.