MHE February 2021

For several years, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has presented data showing that the United States faces a shortage of physicians in almost every specialty. In June 2020, the association issued its sixth annual report on the shortage, predicting that in just over a decade, the U.S. healthcare system would face a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians in primary and specialty care.

A favorable Supreme Court ruling has improved the financial outlook of the three nonprofit health insurers.

Having specialty pharmacies fill prescriptions may lower costs, but critics of the practice see safety issues and other drawbacks.

Adjustments to payment models are beginning to take social determinants into account.

COVID-19 is the biggest one, but other twists and turns await.

Caring for seniors means attending to both their physical and emotional health. Unfortunately, the mental health of older patients is rarely evaluated and treated. Multiple barriers to care exist, including availability and access to mental health practitioners, as well as the stigma associated with psychological conditions that may prevent patients from seeking help.

Enforcement of rules to encourage the freer flow of healthcare data were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now scheduled to go into effect this year.

Insight into people’s irrational choices can improve healthcare.

The Next Generation ACO program, was supposed to end in 2020, but it was granted a one-year reprieve because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) wants that extension to become permanent and says the “Next Gen” ACOs save the Medicare program a lot of money. Former CMS Administrator Seema Verma begs to differ.

As distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines sputters along, this question will be asked: Should people who are immunocompromised get vaccinated?

Diabetes education has shifted from in-person classes to Zoom meetings.

The COPD Foundation is calling for a change in clinical trial design that would test experimental therapies in subsets of patients.

Opinion piece by MHE's Editorial Advisory Board Member and CEO of The Pharmacy Group, Perry Cohen. Perry discusses the response differences and vague similarities between the countries and addresses the continuous question, "What is the new normal?"