In California, a novel variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be less susceptible to approved vaccines; COVID-19 vaccine trials are assessing efficacy in adolescents; HHS relaxes a regulation on prescribing addiction medication.
A novel variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first identified in Denmark in March 2020, is quickly spreading across California, according to Deadline. After genetically sequencing the variant, L452R, researchers found it may be less susceptible to current vaccines, although they say that more investigation is warranted. So far, the variant has been present in several large outbreaks across various counties in California and has been linked with the massive outbreak at a Kaiser Permanente emergency department in San Jose, which sickened more than 90 staff and patients and resulted in 1 death.
Reported by Bloomberg, as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to target Americans aged 65 and older, those with underlying health conditions, and health care workers, adolescents are being assessed in trials conducted by Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. Moderna gave its first doses to young populations (aged 12 to 18 years) in December, with initial data expected before the 2021 school year begins. Pfizer is said to have recruited 2000 volunteers aged 12 to 15 years, but a spokesperson declined to confirm whether enrollment was finished. AstraZeneca and Oxford University plan to recruit approximately 120 children in 2 age groups: 12 to 18 and 6 to 11 years.
Even though a recent CDC report shows that overdose deaths have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, HHS has relaxed a regulation on prescribing addiction medication. Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, physicians will no longer be required to have an x-waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which requires special training to obtain and prescribe buprenorphine, an opioid addiction treatment drug long restricted by the federal government. However, some restrictions still remain in prescribing the drug, as physicians without x-waivers can only treat patients in their own state. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants still needing an x-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine.
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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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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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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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.
Read More
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.
Listen
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.
Listen
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.
Read More
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