Hospitals Prepare for Hurricane Irma
In the Florida Keys, hospitals are evacuating patients in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. The Category 5 hurricane is projected to make landfall in the Florida Keys early Sunday, and 3 hospitals have been discharging patients, according to STAT. There are still approximately 20 inpatients in the hospitals that will need air and ambulance transports to move. After witnessing the destruction of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, the hospitals of the Keys are not taking any chances.
Republicans and Democrats Discuss ACA Fixes
During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, senators and state insurance commissioners discussed proposals to curb premium increases and stabilize the individual insurance markets. AP reported that while disagreements clearly remain, the 2 parties had a cordial discussion and showed a willingness to work together to bolster the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Both sides seem to be in favor of continuing cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers, as well as providing money to states to help insurers cover expensive patients. Panel Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, wants to have a bipartisan bill by the end of next week.
More Insurers Scale Back ACA Participation
While the discussions in Washington, DC, were positive, 2 insurers said they were scaling back their participation in the ACA exchanges. Anthem has been slowly reducing its involvement, and it has now announced it will offer ACA plans in just half of Kentucky’s counties in 2018 after covering the whole state in 2017. Reuters reported that the state’s 120 counties will still have ACA insurance options despite the pull back. The same cannot be said in Virginia, which is now at risk of having regions lacking ACA options next year. According to The Wall Street Journal, Optima Health is scaling back its planned expansion, a move that will leave 48 counties and parts of 6 more at risk of having no exchange plan options in 2018.
Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
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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.
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Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
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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.
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Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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