AJMC® in the Press, September 20, 2019

Becker’s Hospital Review and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News highlighted a study published in this month’s issue of The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®). The study, “Managed Care for Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents: An Evaluation of Institutional Special Needs Plans,” examined UnitedHealthcare’s Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) and their association with hospital and skilled nursing facility use. The researchers found that compared with fee-for-service institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries, I-SNP members had 51% lower emergency department use, 38% fewer hospitalizations, and 45% fewer remissions, while their skilled nursing facility use was 112% higher.

The National’s article on hyperhidrosis referred to an article in an AJMC^® supplement regarding the condition. The supplement article, “Hyperhidrosis and Its Impact on Those Living With It,” gave an overview of the condition and its impact. The condition affects approximately 4.8% of Americans and primarily affects younger adults aged 18 to 39 years.

An article from AJMC.com, the website of AJMC^®, covered report findings showing that up to 12% of pharmacy spending may be on high-cost, low-value drugs that can be removed from formularies. The article, “Wasteful Drug Spending Contributes to High Prescription Costs,” was included in the National Pharmaceutical Council’s daily newsfeed on Monday. The newsfeed also included AJMC^®’s interview with Daniel Kantor, MD, president of Kantor Neurology, in which he discussed the real-world value of multiple sclerosis disease registries.