Health Care Delivery

Policy observers and industry stakeholders debate the possible spillover effects of Medicare drug pricing reform in the employer-based insurance market; a California federal judge rules Walgreens could be held liable for not investigating suspicious orders of opioids in San Francisco; a blood test performed the day of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can predict which patients may die and who may survive with a disability.

The usefulness of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was investigated among patients with melanoma and SLN metastases.

Most patients with atopic dermatitis had flunctuating levels of depressive symptoms, with having public or no insurance, more severe itch, and skin pain cited as additional predictors of adverse mental health outcomes.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ pimavanserin (Nuplazid) was not extended by the FDA to include Alzheimer-related psychosis; HHS/Health Resources and Service Administration vow to strengthen rural health care; a new deal has the United States paying $26 million for Siga Technologies’ Tpoxx.

The REVEAL-HF study investigated using risk scores to improve patient outcomes through targeted interventions, including treatment initiation and intensity, end-of-life care, and hospitalization and mortality risks.

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Sachin Jain, MD, MBA, SCAN Group and Health Plan's president and CEO, about how the organization made 10% of senior managers’ annual bonuses dependent on how well the gap in medication adherence among diverse populations was reduced.

Freezing of gait incidence among patients with Parkinson disease (PD) was associated with older age, more severe motor symptoms, postural instability/gait difficulty clinical phenotype, and other risk factors.

Gary Owens, MD, president of Gary Owens Associates, addresses how payers can improve outcomes for persons who have pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Allergen immunotherapy, especially given by the subcutaneous route, was shown to be cost-effective for children with house dust mite-driven allergic asthma, according to a recent study based in Portugal.

Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antiviral medications was associated with low HCV reinfection rates among patients who inject drugs, although risk for reinfection was highest in the first 24 weeks of treatment and among those with ongoing injecting drug use.

European adult patients with atopic dermatitis most valued therapies that had rapid onset, oral administration, and were able to be paused—even at the expense of reduced efficacy.

HR 5376, or the Inflation Reduction Act, is most significant piece of legislation affecting federal health policy since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010; for Medicare beneficiaries, it caps insulin at $35 a month and includes other pricing reforms.

Anchalee Avihingsanon, MD, PhD, HIV-NAT, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, Bangkok, Thailand, is principal investigator of the ALLIANCE trial from Gilead.

In this case report, a 50-year-old female patient, with a family history of lung cancer, received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) following presentation with an apical lung mass.

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) exhibited significant improvement in measurement scales for depression and anxiety when treated with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation.

This UK study looked at the use of telehealth to deliver virtual home assessments for occupational therapy services; the authors also created guidelines to support additional work in this area.

Still, investigators say there are gaps in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening protocol that need to be filled.

Brindley Brooks, who founded HS Connect (HSconnect.org), a patient advocacy group for those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), spoke on the need for awareness among physicians and patients on the clinical features of HS in regard to both physical and psychosocial burdens.

Analysis of more than 16 million visits for hypertension care suggests that a large fraction of face-to-face care is low value and could be provided differently or potentially eliminated.

Patients who completed a preappointment survey were significantly more likely to attend their clinic appointment than noncompleters and spent significantly less time in their appointment.

Both the ZUMA-7 trial for axicabtagene ciloleucel—approved for second-line treatment earlier this year—and the TRANSFORM trial for lisocabtagene maraleucel showed significant improvement over standard of care for large B cell lymphoma (LBCL), while the BELINDA trial for tisagenlecleucel did not.

US cases of monkeypox have risen to 6600, and Thursday's declaration aims to provide enhanced testing, treatment, and vaccine capabilities nationwide.

The findings, coming from the phase 3 SEQUOIA study, found that the next-generation, selective Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor had superior efficacy versus chemoimmunotherapy and demonstrated an acceptable safety profile among 600 older patients with comorbidities.

New study findings show suboptimal HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing rates among sexual and gender minority individuals in the state, contrary to CDC guidelines.

During the 2022 Congress of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC), held in Louisville, Kentucky, Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS, of Johns Hopkins, and Pam R. Taub, MD, of UC San Diego Health, discussed how treatment of diabetes requires going beyond glucose-lowering therapies and including newer medications that offer cardiovascular benefits.