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What We’re Reading: Urban-Rural Health Disparities; Therapists Respond to No Surprises Act; Stroke, COVID-19 Risk
New CDC data highlight urban-rural health differences; mental health providers object to some parts of the No Surprises Act; COVID-19–associated stroke most likely within 3 days of diagnosis.
Rural Residents Report Worse Physical Health
A new CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that during 2021, working age adults self-reported worse physical health depending on their area of residence, with those in small/medium urban counties and rural counties faring worse than those in large urban counties. Geographical disparities in physical health are not new, but researchers noted a lack of recent data on rural-urban differences. They concluded the disparities seen are largely due to differences in socioeconomic status, while policies that increase access to livable wage jobs—especially among those without a college degree—would likely help address these gaps.
Mental Health Providers Seek Exemption From Surprise Billing Act
Some mental health therapists contend a newly enacted law aimed to curb surprise medical billing could discourage patients from seeking care, NPR reports. Although they do not object to the main goal of the act, they are concerned a price transparency provision that requires medical practitioners to give up-front cost estimates and a diagnosis does not fit well with mental health care, as diagnoses can take time and change over treatment courses. If the price estimate is off by at least $400, uninsured or self-pay patients could also challenge the bills in arbitration. Mental health organizations laid out their concerns and sought exemption from the law in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Stroke Risk Among COVID-19 Patients
Study findings reported by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy revealed that among older adults, the risk of COVID-19–associated stroke is the highest within 3 days of diagnosis. In addition, researchers devised a new scoring system that could help predict the risk of stroke in this population. To do so, they examined the health records of 37,379 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19 between April 2020 and February 2021. Any strokes occurring 7 days before diagnosis or 28 days following diagnosis served as controls; stroke risk within 3 days was 10 times higher than in the control group.
Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Data Back Neoadjuvant Combo vs Chemo Alone for Early-Stage NSCLC
April 24th 2024For patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combining neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy improves 2-year outcomes over chemotherapy alone, suggest findings of an extensive literature review and meta-analysis.
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The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.
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Polatuzumab Vedotin and R-CHP Appropriate for Untreated DLBCL
April 24th 2024Population pharmacokinetic and exposure-response analyses revealed a favorable benefit-risk profilane for the treatment combination of polatuzumab vedotin and rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP).
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