Visits to your doctor’s office will be changed, with the reopening of much of the country; there could be a 30% jump in overall cancer care costs by 2030; current efforts to track the ongoing spread of coronavirus disease 2019 may be improved.
With all of the United States in various phases of reopening, according to CNN, visits to doctors’ offices will look entirely different. Forbes reports on the safest ways to do so, looking at all-new check-in procedures, transportation considerations, and the continuation of telemedicine. Top tips include patients knowing the mask requirements, being prepared to wait in their cars until their appointment time, and always calling ahead, because they may not need to go in at all.
By 2030, study results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, from the American Association for Cancer Research, project there could be a total cancer spend of $245 billion. This would equate to a 30% jump in just 15 years and includes annual costs of $105,500 per patient who dies in the end-of-life phase; oral prescription drug costs of $24,000 for patients with myeloma; and $239,400 for patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The study authors used data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry to determine cancer care costs by disease site, diagnosis stage, and phase of care.
Former members of a Silicon Valley effort to help contain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have now joined forces with researchers and data scientists from Harvard and MIT to form the Covid-19 Mobility Data Network, according to Stat News. The new group’s main focus is tracking public health initiatives through the use of mobility patterns at the population level for zip codes, counties, and states. Cofounder Andrew Schroeder notes that using population-level data enables greater privacy because individual-level information is not accessed for analysis.
Alopecia Areata Impacts Patient Perception, Quality of Life
March 27th 2024Patients with alopecia areata (AA) often perceive their hair loss as more severe than dermatologists do, leading to increased emotional and social problems. This study highlights the importance of understanding patient perception for better treatment and improved quality of life.
Read More
Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
Listen
The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
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