Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.
CVS Health made headlines this week following the announcement that it will take over Aetna. The partnership has voiced its vision of reshaping healthcare by creating a community-based health model, according to an article in Modern Healthcare. The article, which put a focus on lower costs of care in retail clinics, highlighted a peer-reviewed study published in The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®). The study, “Quality of Care at Retail Clinics for 3 Common Conditions,” found that the quality of care for minor ailments from MinuteClinics in CVS pharmacies was equal to or better than care offered from ambulatory-care facilities and emergency departments.
An article in Healio on cardiovascular screenings highlighted an AJMC® peer-reviewed study from our November issue when discussing trends following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The study, “Changes in Cardiovascular Care Provision After the Affordable Care Act,” found that screening for cardiovascular risks such as diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure increased after the ACA was enacted. The study also found that men were more likely than women to be prescribed aspirin as preventive therapy.
The National Pharmaceutical Council’s Wednesday CER Daily Newsfeed included an AJMC® article on the effects of filgrastim and its biosimilar filgrastim-sndz. The article, “Filgrastim and biosimilar filgrastim-sndz Equally Efficient in Preventing Febrile Neutropenia,” found that there were no significant differences between the biosimilar and its reference biologic in the prevention of febrile neutropenia events that require hospitalization. However, noninferiority could not be established for serious adverse events.
A new peer-reviewed study published this week in AJMC® was mentioned in Science Daily’s article on money-saving plans doing little to curb spending on unnecessary medical services. While reporting findings that consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) have little to no effect on curbing spending on 26 services deemed low value, the article referenced the study, “Impact of Consumer-Directed Health Plans on Low-Value Healthcare.” The study found that switching to CDHPs did not reduce spending on low-value healthcare services, and CDHPs may encourage patients to curb spending indiscriminately rather than specifically reducing low-value services.
Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
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Study Links COVID-19 Pandemic to Rise in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer in US
April 17th 2024There was greater use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among US patients with ovarian cancer (OC) during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure and cancer treatment-related complications.
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Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
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