Policy

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group about her organization’s partnership with the Healthcare Transformation Alliance and how transparency and employer leverage may shape the transition toward value-based health care.

Expansion of insurance coverage due to the Affordable Care Act led to a reduction in the use of emergency services for patients with asthma in New York City.

Switching patients from pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) to dry powder inhalers (DPIs) could both reduce health care system’s carbon footprint and result in more satisfied patients.

During a webinar, experts discussed where health care has improved life expectancy and the relationship between cost and relative contribution that each area makes to life improvement and expectancy.

During oral arguments, the justices asked skeptical questions regarding Republican state efforts to get the Affordable Care Act (ACA) overturned.

Pfizer said interim data on its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine show 90% efficacy; meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden released the names of his coronavirus advisory board.

This study, which provides the first description of episode spending patterns for safety-net hospitals nationwide, demonstrates that episode spending does not vary by safety-net status.

Although the fate of the Senate remains undecided, President-elect Joe Biden’s Democratic win spells major changes for both the handling of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and health care in the United States.

This week, the top news in managed care included top health care takeaways from the 2020 general election; a Q&A with Dr William Shrank on connecting Medicare Advantage providers and patients; Managed Care Cast discusses balancing evidence with action amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although a winner has yet to be declared in the 2020 presidential race, several ballot measures and state level races yielded results with major implications in the health care field. Below is a list of the most influential health care–related outcomes of the 2020 elections.

There is a lot of uncertainty among providers participating in federal alternative payment models (APMs) given the general election and the upcoming Supreme Court case on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

As novel therapies drive up the cost of cancer care, federal policy decisions are being made that influence oncologists' ability to deliver cancer care, said Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, MPH, of Texas Oncology.

The study offers the first de novo cost-effectiveness model of these patients in the United States, according to the researchers.

The Trump administration finalized rules aimed at making health care pricing more visible and transparent to those with with health insurance from employers or the individual market.

At the Alliance for Better Health’s CONVERGE Virtual Conference, experts discussed the role social determinants of health (SDOH) play in community-based health initiatives.

The decision to go on dialysis is often automatic, but using a shared decision-making process reduces the chance that a patient will regret it later.

The pressure on state budgets exerted by new approvals of costly therapeutics has led many states to implement legislation aimed at regulating drug prices, but the success of these efforts is not uniform across the nation.

This article argues that value-based health systems may contract with school districts engaged in capitated special education to achieve better patient outcomes and lower costs for the pediatric population.

A panel discussion examined the changes in the health care landscape occurring due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly around pharmacists’ scope of practice, and which changes are likely to persist after the pandemic.

As home-based care utilization rises, an exploration of potential unintended consequences is necessary. The authors focus on support gaps, informal caregiving, and failure to meaningfully engage clinicians.

New data estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study published by The Lancet illustrate how rising rates of chronic disease and public health failures compounded over decades to worsen the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

For-profit dialysis centers are spending heavily to defeat the measure.

The United States has its first reported of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection, in a young male patient with no underlying immune conditions.

Orphan drug spending to treat rare conditions in children is increasingly burdening payers and families, a recent study said.

Patient-provider communication quality metrics at safety net hospitals are indirectly affected by changes in regional market factors that influence patients’ demand for care.