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What We're Reading: Privatizing VA Medical Care
What we're reading, December 29, 2016: President-elect Donald J. Trump considers privatizing veterans' medical care; a new task force to improve sharing of pregnancy status data; and medical marijuana legalization reduced traffic fatalities.
President-elect Donald J. Trump is considering a change to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would allow veterans to see private doctors of their choosing. The New York Times reported that the plan would let veterans opt out of care at VA hospitals. At this time there are no details on the cost or how the change would affect the current VA system. President Barack Obama opposes such a privatization of the VA, as do some veterans groups.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has formed a task force to better capture pregnancy status data in the fight against the Zika virus. The task force will address the capture of pregnancy status, sending and sharing pregnancy status, and the use of clinical decision support. Pregnancy status is central to a CDC Zika registry that provides monitoring of pregnant women and infant outcomes.
Some states that legalized medical marijuana have seen a reduction in the number of traffic fatalities. According to Reuters Health, the expected increase in the number of people killed in traffic accidents did not materialize—instead deaths dropped 11% on average. The study does not show the reason for the drop in traffic deaths, but some researchers suggest marijuana users are more aware of their impairment than drinkers. Currently, 28 states have legalized medical marijuana.
POSITIVE Trial Update on Patients With Breast Cancer Attempting Pregnancy
December 8th 2023At last year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, POSITIVE trial primary outcome data were presented on breast cancer–free interval, with women who paused endocrine therapy to attempt pregnancy having a similarly small rate of recurrence vs external controls from the SOFT and TEXT trials: 8.9% vs 9.2%.
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Emily Goldberg Shares Insights as a Genetic Counselor for Breast Cancer Risk Screening
October 30th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Emily Goldberg, MS, CGC, a genetic counselor at JScreen, breaks down how genetic screening for breast cancer works and why it is so important to increase awareness and education around these screening tools available to patients who may be at risk for cancer.
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Examining Telehealth Uptake to Increase Equitable Care Access
January 26th 2023To mark the publication of The American Journal of Managed Care®’s 12th annual health IT issue, on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Christopher M. Whaley, PhD, health care economist at the RAND Corporation, who focuses on health economics issues, including the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care delivery.
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What We’re Reading: ChatGPT in Health Care; Menthol Ban Meeting; Health System Cyberattack Impact
November 30th 2023ChatGPT is changing health care while also raising questions about artificial intelligence's promises and limitations; 24 Biden officials met with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives to discuss the FDA’s proposal to ban menthol cigarettes; a recent hospital cyberattack shows how the vulnerability of health care systems can put patients at risk.
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Provisional CDC data show that US babies gained roughly a year in life expectancy in 2022; study findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly raised the risk of preterm birth for expectant California mothers; New York Attorney General Letitia James said about 4 million New Yorkers were affected by a data breach of the medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates.
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