Health Care Delivery

M. Hossein Kazemi, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Astera Cancer Care, discusses the benefits of de-escalating treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.

The top 5 pieces of content published on AJMC.com relating to reimbursement issues included 2 on the significance of a California law giving Medicare beneficiaries access to expert oncology care; other articles looked at the work involved in value-based care models and CMS news.

M. Hossein Kazemi, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Astera Cancer Care, discusses emerging tools to use to identify patients with multiple myeloma for de-escalating treatment.

Lower US life expectancy attributed to COVID-19, drug overdoses; suggestions to mask up lack teeth even as respiratory illnesses and hospitalizations spike; emergency department (ED) doctors look to curb private equity investments in staffing firms.

Martina Bebin, MD, MPA, professor of neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Epilepsy Center, discussed Infantile Spasms Awareness Week, the strides made within the field, and the emphasis on early and accurate diagnosis.

In 2022, the most-read news about immuno-oncology included an FDA approval for liver cancer, research findings on other potential therapies for liver cancer, a Q&A with a COTA Healthcare executive about how real-world evidence has changed, new possibilities for patients with solid tumors, and more.

Adult patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in the phase 3 BREEZE-AD7 study showed sustained improvement of AD signs and symptoms after 68 weeks with combination treatment of bariticitinib and topical corticosteroids.

For this analysis, the Japan Pulmonary Hypertension Registry provided data from 2008 to 2021 on patients with diagnosed portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH).

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, explained the mechanism of action for Rebyota, the first fecal transplant therapy approved by the FDA for the prevention of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in individuals 18 years and older, following antibiotic treatment for recurrent CDI.

A research letter examined the clinical presentation, disease severity, associated comorbidities, and management of hidradenitis suppurativa in older adults aged 65 years or older.

Incidence of Parkinson disease in North America was 50% higher than previous estimates of 60,000 diagnoses annually.

Diagnoses of psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, or undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis saw a dramatic decline during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The combination therapy of levodopa and benserazide was associated with a significantly reduced risk of lower urinary tract infections, particularly among women, when compared with another Parkinson disease combination therapy of levodopa and carbidopa.

M. Hossein Kazemi, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Astera Cancer Care, identifies key tools in de-escalating treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.

This American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting covered a breakthrough therapy for the management of vitiligo, clinical and epidemiological differences of certain dermatologic diseases, and the role of dietary triggers on patient outcomes.

Korean patients with allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma, had a higher risk of cataract surgery, and the combination of AD and AR resulted in the highest risk.

The staff clinician group with access to the Enhanced Primary Care Diabetes model was found to improve their diabetes care quality.

Though a large proportion of patients receiving oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy report gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, a knowledge gap remains for the best approach to determine the underlying etiology and manage symptoms.

Drawing on findings from other countries, including the United States, the group is highlighting the need for a newborn screening program to mitigate these current barriers.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of Renal Medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed how sexism and other factors cause certain symptoms of lupus nephritis to be overlooked, contributing to delays in diagnosis and care.

At this year’s American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions, held November 5-7 in Chicago, Illinois, hot topics for discussion included VICTORIA trial data and the great need for new antihypertensive agents to reduce health care disparities.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were clear in the US national health care expenditure analysis of spending last year, as federal spending dropped, but health care use rebounded in 2021.

Non-White patients with hidradenitis suppurativa reported longer delay in diagnosis than their White counterparts. In addition, Black patients did not receive dermatologic care as early in their disease course as other racial groups.

Julia Balmaceda, a medical student at the University of Kansas, discusses the findings of a research project looking at whether racial bias in pulse oximetry was present in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Patients with Parkinson disease who adhered to Mediterranean (MEDI) and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets were associated with fewer patient-reported symptoms over time, in which the MIND diet showed greater reductions in symptom severity compared with MEDI.