- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: CVS Reports Drug Spending Slowed Significantly
What we're reading, February 23, 2016: drug spending for CVS health plans slowed from 11.8% to 5%; CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, talks Zika virus; and an investigation into the HealthCare.gov launch found widespread mismanagement.
Drug spending growth slowed from 11.8% in 2014 to 5% in 2015, according to CVS Health Corp. In an interview with Bloomberg Business, the company’s chief medical officer, Troyen Brennan, explained that the company kept costs down through discount negotiations and restrictions on some high-priced drugs. As a result, even though more patients were using expensive hepatitis C drugs, spending on these treatments was roughly flat over the course of the year.
In a conversation with Time, CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, explained that researchers continue to see a strong connection between the Zika virus and microcephaly, but no definitive proof yet. In addition, he added that the CDC expects to see hundreds, if not thousands, of travel-associated Zika cases in the US. There are already 84 travel-associated reported cases, plus more than 2 dozen locally transmitted cases reported in Puerto Rico and more cases in the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
A 2-year inquiry into the failings of the HealthCare.gov launch found that federal officials received 18 warnings that the project was mismanaged and never considered postponing the launch. An outside consultant gave 11 reviews that included a list of risks citing inadequate planning for capacity and deviations from usual information technology standards, reported The Washington Post.
What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
Read More
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Survey Results Reveal Potential Factors Slowing the Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality Rate
April 23rd 2024Research indicated that worsened glycemic, blood pressure, and obesity control, as well as increased alcohol consumption, leveled lipid control, and persistent socioeconomic disparities may have contributed to the decelerated cardiovascular mortality decline in recent years.
Read More
Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
Listen
