AJMC® in the Press, April 13, 2018

Researchers from the University of Southern California evaluated the impact of enrollment in a consumer-directed health plan on out-of-pocket spending and on the financial burden associated with healthcare utilization. The study, “Financial Burden of Healthcare Utilization in Consumer-Directed Health Plans,” was published in the April issue of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®). Articles from Medical Xpress and 89.3KPCC, a California public radio station, focused on the study, which found that enrollment in a consumer-directed health plan increases the financial burden associated with healthcare utilization, especially for those with lower incomes and with chronic conditions.

A second article in Medical Xpress mentioned the AJMC^®-published study “Assessing Medical Home Mechanisms: Certification, Asthma Education, and Outcomes.” The website’s article focused on transforming healthcare to improve asthma outcomes, and included the study’s finding that Health Care Homes were associated with better asthma care and outcomes.

OBR Oncology’s Friday daily newsfeed included AJMC^® coverage of the 2018 Community Oncology Conference hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance. The article, “Commissioner Gottlieb Updates Community Oncologists on the FDA’s Mission to Improve Access,” covered Gottlieb’s overview of current and future plans of the regulatory agency, particularly in their strides within the molecular diagnostic testing space.

An article in EHR Intelligence on specialty electronic health record (EHR) products being linked to high physician satisfaction included a study published in AJMC^®. The study, “Electronic Health Record ‘Super-Users’ and ‘Under-Users’ in Ambulatory Care Practices,” found that nearly 40% of US ambulatory care practices are “under-users” of health information technology functionalities, which impacts the ability of the health system as a whole to provide coordinated, efficient care.

RevCycle Intelligence’s article on value-based purchasing mentioned the AJMC^®-published study, “Value-Based Contracting Innovated Medicare Advantage Healthcare Delivery and Improved Survival.” The study concluded that elderly Medicare Advantage members with multiple chronic conditions attained a survival benefit from more cost-effective care when a private plan developed gainshare and monetary risk-bearing arrangements with its contracted providers.

The Center for Biosimilars®, a sister publication of AJMC^®, highlighted a study published in AJMC^®’s April issue. The authors of the study, “Limited Distribution Networks Stifle Competition in the Generic and Biosimilar Drug Industries,” examined limited distribution networks and determined that drug companies employ these networks to obstruct access to drug samples sought by competitor companies in order to conduct necessary testing to submit a generic or biosimilar drug application to the FDA.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores included an article from AJMC^® in its daily newsfeed on Monday. The article, “FDA Approves Rucaparib for Maintenance in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer,” reported on the FDA’s approval of the PARP inhibitor for maintenance treatment of adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.