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Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: July 14, 2023
The Center on Health Equity and Access spotlights the latest health equity news, research, and initiatives to reduce health care disparities and improve access to care.
News
CMS Proposals Aim to Increase Access to Behavioral Health Services
CMS is proposing a series of policies aiming to expand behavioral health service access, the agency announced in a press release. While Medicare currently covers and pays for services such as inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, partial hospitalizations services, and outpatient therapeutic services, there is a gap in coverage of services more frequent than individual outpatient therapy sessions but less intensive than partial hospitalization, according to the release. The agency is seeking comment on the proposed new rule, which would establish payment and program requirements for additional behavioral health settings, such as outpatient departments at hospitals, community mental health centers, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and opioid treatment programs.
Research
Income Inequality, Social Mobility Associated With Deaths of Despair
A study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that higher county-level income inequality and lower social mobility are associated with deaths of despair across Black, Hispanic, and White individuals. Deaths of despair, including deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholic liver disease, have been increasing but are avoidable and preventable, the authors noted. Proximal responses to the opioid crisis and addressing the socioeconomic conditions linked to deaths of despair are key to mitigate what the study authors deem an epidemic.
Neighborhood Racial Segregation Linked to Shorter Life Spans
Living in a highly segregated neighborhood was associated with a shorter life expectancy by 4 years, according to a research letter published in JAMA Health Forum. The nationwide, cross-sectional study showed statistically significantly lower life spans, with neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors partially mediating the findings. While the results do not confirm causation, the findings help quantify how residential segregation drives racial inequities and add to evidence that residential segregation limits access to resources that promote health, such as education, employment, and wealth; and may increase exposure to factors such as air pollution that are harmful to health.
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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In this interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®, Katie Queen, MD, addresses the complexity of obesity as a medical condition, pivoting to virtual care while ensuring that patients who lived in a rural location continued to receive adequate care, and the importance of integrating awareness of obesity and chronic disease prevention into local food culture.
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