The study, “Cost Utility of Hub-and-Spoke Telestroke Networks From Societal Perspective,” published in the December 2013 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®), presents a lifetime cost-utility analysis finding that hub-and-spoke telestroke networks are economically dominant over routine care, with patients in these networks incurring $1436 lower lifetime costs and gaining improved quality-adjusted life-years compared with those receiving standard community hospital stroke care. Downbeach cites this AJMC finding directly in its financial case for telestroke adoption, using the $1436 lifetime cost savings figure to argue that telestroke is not only clinically superior but also a fiscally sustainable model that rural hospital budgets can realistically support.
The article, “Treatment for Thyroid Eye Disease Approved by FDA,” published on AJMC.com, the website of AJMC, reports that veligrotug-vvze (Lumvoa; Viridian Therapeutics) became the first FDA-approved treatment for thyroid eye disease (TED) with labeling covering both active and chronic forms of the condition, based on strong results from the phase 3 THRIVE and THRIVE-2 trials showing proptosis response rates of 70% and 56%, respectively, compared with just 5% and 8% for placebo. Insight's piece draws directly from this AJMC reporting, citing its description of veligrotug's mechanism in addressing the autoimmune inflammation and tissue remodeling that characterizes TED and using the AJMC article as its primary source for explaining the drug's clinical basis and significance for patients.
The AJMC article, “New Multiple Myeloma Drug Interferes With Routine Testing Prior to a Transfusion,” reports that daratumumab, the first monoclonal antibody approved for multiple myeloma, was found to interfere with routine blood compatibility testing prior to transfusions and that a dithiothreitol-based method developed at Brigham and Women's Hospital reduced this interference by 92% and was validated through an international multicenter study. Cancer Nursing Today cites this AJMC finding in its discussion of CD38-targeted therapies as a real-world example of on-target, off-tumor effects, using it to explain why treatment centers now follow specific protocols to manage daratumumab's interference with blood bank testing.
The AJMC article, “Patients Face New Care Complexities as DTC Options Expand,” examines how the rapid expansion of direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical platforms offers patients greater pricing transparency and reduced friction in accessing medications like GLP-1 receptor agonists, while experts warn these models can also increase out-of-pocket costs, fragment medication oversight, and leave patients navigating a more complex care landscape. Telehealth.org cites the AJMC piece to underscore that the growing number of DTC platforms, including TrumpRx, may create new complexities for patients navigating treatment decisions across multiple providers and care settings, using it to support its broader argument that expanded GLP-1 access through telehealth and DTC channels raises unresolved questions about care coordination and clinical oversight.
The AJMC article, “Report Reveals Mounting Burdens of Drug Shortages on US Health System,” covers a 2024 Vizient survey revealing that US drug shortages have reached an all-time high of 323 active shortages, with hospitals collectively spending an estimated 20 million hours annually managing them at a cost of nearly $900 million in labor, which was more than double the burden reported in 2019. The Tribune's pharmacy inventory piece cites this AJMC finding directly, using the stat that time spent managing drug shortages more than doubled from 2019 to 2024 to illustrate how supply chain instability has transformed pharmacy purchasing from a routine operational task into a high-stakes, staff-intensive challenge that directly affects both margins and patient access.
