Briana Contreras

As the HIV epidemic rises in China, Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) face various mental health difficulties, including suicide ideation, depression and stigma.

The risk of stroke is not as likely for adults 65 years and above who have taken the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccines. However, there may be an elevated risk of stroke when COVID boosters are paired with high-dose flu vaccines, particularly in adults 85-years-old and above.

Authors of a recent JAMA Network Open study expressed there have been few reported COVID surveillance studies of childcare centers and none in the U.S. Authors stress that it's essential for policymakers to understand the real risk of COVID spread in CCCs and households so they can apply suitable mitigation measures if there were to be another surge or new variants to come about.

Managing Editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, Peter Wehrwein, had a discussion with William Shrank, M.D., a venture partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, about how artificial intelligence's role is improving healthcare, where we are today with value-based care and the ongoing efforts of reducing waste in the healthcare space for this episode of the "What's on Your Mind" podcast series.

In a platinum award winning poster presented at the AMCP Nexus 2023 conference in Orlando, “Specialty drug use varies by race and wage among employees with employer-sponsored health insurance,” authors expressed that spending on specialty medications for autoimmune conditions has increased in recent years, raising affordability concerns for employers.

Adopting evolving computer system tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning in managed care pharmacies have resulted in efficiency when addressing the challenges they are faced with, according to Jessica Hatton, PharmD, BCACP, associate vice president of Pharmacy at CareSource and Nick Trego, PharmD, senior vice president of Clinical Analytics and Client Services at HealthPlan Data Solutions, Inc.

Jessica Hatton, PharmD, BCACP, associate vice president of Pharmacy at CareSource caught up with MHE to discuss value assessment tools and their use in the managed care pharmacy space. This topic and more were addressed by Hatton during her presentation today in Orlando at the AMCP Nexus 2023 conference.

In a session presented at the AMCP Nexus 2023 conference in Orlando, Adam Colborn, JD, director of Government Relations at AMCP, discussed how the recent ERISA preemption rule influenced employer pharmacy benefits, and also highlighted a policy that hasn't received much attention in the managed care pharmacy space: California's CalRx Biosimilar Insulin Initiative.

Adam Colborn, JD, director of Government Relations at AMCP, addressed topics at this year's AMCP Nexus conference in Orlando such as transparency, cost sharing mandates and variables that affect the supply and demand curve for pharmaceuticals within legislation at a federal, but mainly state level. Colborn also touched on the large PBM reform regulation happening currently in New York as it could be a model that other states can follow.

Patient affordability and access to specialty drugs and cell and gene therapies are just a couple of priorities self-insured employers should keep in mind when managing specialty spend, according to Shawna Ricker, PharmD, clinical pharmacist consultant of Clinical Client Strategy at Highmark, Inc.

Shawna Ricker, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist Consultant, Clinical Client Strategy, Highmark, Inc., who co-presented at this year's AMCP Nexus conference in Orlando, shares some best practices for health plans that work with self-insured employers.

If you want a strong workforce, you need to build it to be diverse and inclusive, said members of a panel on diversity and inclusion.

At this year’s ID Week conference in Boston, Igho Ofotokun, MD, MSc, FIDSA, Grady Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine, shared the latest data that COVID-19 research team, RECOVER, has gathered on Long COVID and its symptoms.

The impact of alcohol use on SVR is less certain as some payers and clinicians have different guidelines as far as alcohol abstinence and receiving DAA therapy.

Researchers of a phase 3 trial aimed to determine whether statins, specifically pitavastatin, could reduce the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events among HIV patients, as the risk of cardiovascular disease is increased in those with HIV infection.

In a population-based cohort study, researchers explored the mortality of vitiligo as there is limited information about risks of mortality among these patients. The researchers investigated all-cause and cause-specific mortality of patients with vitiligo compared with controls without vitiligo using a nationwide database.

The new NIH-funded study has shed light on the challenges faced by pregnant individuals living with HIV as hypertensive disorders in pregnancy pose a crucial health risk to expectant mothers.

Aside from leading Upfront Healthcare’s Bartosch Patient Activation Institute, Lindsay Zimmerman, Ph.D., M.P.H., vice president of the organization, said treating herself to a snack like popcorn dressed in parmesan cheese while in bed is a guilty pleasure for her.

There are nine grant awards of $1 million each for up to 5 years — totaling to overall $45 million in grants — that would mainly support underserved, rural, vulnerable, and minority populations that are disproportionately impacted by the effects of Long COVID

When compared to a double reading of a mammogram screening by two radiologists, a double reading by one radiologist plus AI demonstrated a 4% higher non-inferior cancer detection rate, highlighting the potential of AI in enhancing cancer detection in mammography screening.

Melissa A. Soliz, J.D., of Coppersmith Brockelman PLC is one of 12 winners in this year's Emerging Leaders in Healthcare feature. In an interview with MHE, Soliz recommends the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot to those in healthcare because "it is a compelling portrayal of how the law, ethics, ownership and business interests, and health inequities impact patient care and the advancement of that care from a generational perspective."

Hannah Ratcliffe, M.Sc., of Waymark, is one of 12 winners in this year's Emerging Leaders in Healthcare feature. In an interview with MHE, she shared one of the best pieces of professional advice she had ever received, which is understanding that every context and situation in healthcare is different from the next.

Sherry Rais, M.Sc., CEO and co-founder, Enthea, is one of 12 winners in this year's Emerging Leaders in Healthcare feature. In an interview with MHE, she recommends "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich to not only those in healthcare, but all readers as the book illustrates the ways in which inequality affects people’s access to healthcare.

Jason Prestinario of Particle Health is one of 12 winners in this year's Emerging Leaders in Healthcare feature. In an interview with MHE, Prestinario said sports betting is an interest of his as much of it is built from his background of high school and club college sports, being a fan of competition and even pursuing his career as a data scientist.

Researchers of a study investigated the association between health-related physical fitness and liver function indicators in hopes of finding potential preventative measures and personalized exercise prescriptions for those living with liver complications.

In a JAMA Network Open study published Sept. 11, researchers wanted to take a deeper look into PrEP regimens’ impact on cardiometabolic health, as it is understudied. To do so they examined the risk of incident hypertension and statin use among adult health plan members starting PrEP with tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) compared adults taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF).

Nora Lozano-Evjen of Equality Health, is one of 12 winners in this year's Emerging Leaders in Healthcare feature. In an interview with MHE, Lozano-Evjen shared that after she moved to the United States from Mexico City, she became involved as a prevention specialist for two U.S. school districts, which introduced her to health and social disparities impacting underserved communities — especially those of color. The exposure to these realities pushed her toward the community health worker model she believes in today.

Managed Healthcare Executive's Managing Editor Peter Wehrwein, and Editor Briana Contreras, had a discussion in July with Mostafa Kamal, president and CEO of Prime Therapeutics, an organization in which Kamal acquired this position that same month.