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What We’re Reading: Congress Delays Start of RO Model; Examining Novel COVID-19 Strain; Pandemic Death Rates
Congress passes legislation that will delay the start of the Radiation Oncology (RO) Advanced Payment Model; examining the newly identified variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); a study finds Hispanics and those without college degrees most subject to excess death during pandemic.
Congress Relief Package Includes a Delay on RO Model
Yesterday, Congress passed legislation supported by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) that will delay the start of the Radiation Oncology Advanced Payment Model (RO Model) until January 1, 2022. Announced in a press release by ASTRO, the move was followed by an oversight letter led by US Representatives Brian Higgins, D-New York, and Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, that was sent to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, which called for changes to the “flawed” RO Model. Moreover, the 16 US representatives involved in the letter are seeking for CMS to protect cancer patients’ access to radiation treatments by ameliorating deep reimbursement cuts for radiation oncology providers who are required to participate in the model.
Examining Novel COVID-19 Strain
The New York Times has highlighted information to know about a newly identified variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Known as B.1.1.7, the variation has been said to be more contagious than more established variants, with initial studies convincing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tighten restrictions over the holidays. Although a virus lineage becoming more common does not mean it is more transmissable, epidemiological evidence conducted in England suggests that the variant has an increased transmission rate of 50% to 70% compared with other variants in the United Kingdom.
Study Finds Higher Pandemic Death Rate in Hispanics, Older Adults
In a study of pandemic deaths in California published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine, the highest excess mortality was found among older adults, black and Hispanic residents, and those without college degrees. According to CIDRAP, excess death rates for Hispanic residents and people without a high school degree more than tripled after statewide shelter-in-place orders were lifted, which ran from March 1 to May 9. In the reopening period of May 10 to August 22, excess deaths for Hispanics were 3.1 times greater than during the shutdown, and those with a high school degree exhibited 3.4-fold increases in excess death rates.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Medicare's Part D Subsidy Program to Achieve Value-Based Care
May 26th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the lead researcher from a study published in the May 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about the impact of low-income subsidies on the uptake and equitable use of expensive orally administered antimyeloma therapy.
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AHN’s Center for Inclusion Health Personalizing Equitable Care Delivery for Marginalized Communities
February 28th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Elizabeth Cuevas, MD, division chief of Allegheny Health Network’s (AHN) Center for Inclusion Health, on prevalent health inequities facing marginalized communities and strategies to identify and address these issues.
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Health Equity Adjustments in Medicare HVBP Program Will Benefit Safety Net Hospitals, Study Says
March 29th 2024Medicare’s upcoming health equity adjustment in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) program will reduce disproportionate penalization among safety net hospitals and those serving high proportions of Black patients, according to a recent study.
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