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What We're Reading: State Prescription Databases Fight the Opioid Epidemic
What we're reading, September 6, 2016: state prescription databases play a role in fighting the opioid epidemic; experimenting with transition models to reduce gaps in care; and how electronic health records slow down doctors.
State prescription databases are playing an increasingly important role as the United States battles a growing opioid epidemic. The Wall Street Journal reported that the 30% drop in the prescribing rate for opioids between 2001 and 2010 could be attributed to the use of state databases in 24 states. A greater awareness by physicians of substance abuse and scrutiny of prescribing behavior also lead to the decrease.
Leaving the hospital to go home or to a nursing facility can be risky for patients, especially elderly ones. During the transition from the hospital, problems can occur as gaps in care and communication persist, according to Kaiser Health News. With the government penalizing hospitals for readmissions, hospitals and community groups are experimenting with transition models that strengthen communication, use technology to track patients, or use partnerships between hospitals and community groups to provide social services.
Electronic health records (EHRs) slow down doctors and take away from time with patients. Jonathan Bush, CEO and president of athenahealth, wrote in STAT that these findings, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, were not particularly surprising. He wrote that EHRs “inflict enormous pain” on doctors and lead to dissatisfaction among providers, frustration among patients, and increased healthcare costs. He calls for healthcare to embrace the user-centric innovations of Amazon, Facebook, Uber, and other revolutionaries with network-enabled technology.
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
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What We’re Reading: FDA Approves UTI Antibiotic; Ozempic, Wegovy Price Investigation; US Births Fall
April 25th 2024The FDA recently approved an antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women; a Senate committee recently launched an investigation into the prices of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight loss drugs; US births fell last year, resuming a national slide after a previous increase during the pandemic.
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HOPE-CAT Can Identify Maternal Cardiovascular Risk 2 Months Earlier Than Doctors, Study Says
April 25th 2024In a retrospective study, the machine learning tool was able to screen for potential risks of cardiovascular disease nearly 60 days before the patient's medical record showed any signs of a related condition or before they were officially diagnosed or treated for it.
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