- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: Telehealth Costs; VA Cancer Lawsuit; and Sugary Beverage Campaign
Telehealth May Expand Access to Care, But Not Lower Spending
A study on the costs and benefits of direct-to-consumer telehealth published in Health Affairs found that it may make care more accessible without actually lowering spending. Just 12% of telehealth visits replaced face-to-face visits, while the other 88% represented new utilization by patients that otherwise would not have accessed care. This increased utilization was linked to higher costs, as net spending on acute respiratory illness increased by $45 per telehealth user annually.
Patient Receives $2.5 Million in Negligence Lawsuit Against VA
Veteran Steven Cooper was awarded $2.5 million after winning a court case against the Veterans Administration (VA), according to the Washington Post. Cooper’s attorneys argued that a nurse practitioner at the Phoenix VA hospital found abnormalities on his prostate but neglected to refer him for further testing, delaying his diagnosis of Stage IV cancer by 11 months. The Phoenix VA medical center faced intense scrutiny in October 2015 when an inspection found that veterans faced unnecessary clinical harm due to a lack of timely care.
Public Health Campaign Encourages Healthier Beverage Choices
An intervention designed to reduce sugary drink consumption in Maryland appears to have changed consumers’ purchasing patterns. The “Howard County Unsweetened” initiative featured advertising on multiple channels encouraging consumers to choose water over soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks. A study on the campaign, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that soda sales decreased by nearly 20% at local supermarkets over the 3-year study period.
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 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. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More
