Study Shows State-Level Scope-of-Practice Laws Limit PrEP Prescribing by NPs, PAs
March 7th 2022Physicians who are reluctant or even opposed to broad use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV may keep physician assistants and nurse practitioners from prescribing the antivirals that can prevent infection and spread of HIV. Making PrEP an over-the-counter treatment would be one way of increasing access.
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Biosimilars to AMD Drugs: The Obstacles In Their Way
March 4th 2022Off-label Avastin, Eylea and Lucentis are the primary treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. A recent review article looked at the impediments to the biosimilars for these drugs Ophthalmologists are wary about using biosimilars to Avastin (which was approved as a cancer drug) for AMD. Biosimilars to Eylea and Lucentis are not on the market yet. Manufacturers’ rebates and Medicare Part B “buy and bill” policies could make it difficult for them to compete against their brand-name “originator” products.
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Why Managed Care Cares About Prescription Drug Spending
March 4th 2022When managed care got started in the early ’80s, the focus was on physician and hospital services. Primary care doctors were positioned as gatekeepers, controlling referrals to specialists. Insurers came under a lot of criticism for shortening hospital stays. Now much of the managed care energy is trained on drug costs.
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The Innovations of Clinical Trials after the Pandemic
March 3rd 2022Like the entirety of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many issues in the medical industry. One area in particular: the clinical trials space developed many challenges as a result to the height and continuous battle of the pandemic.
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How Payers Can Align with Members on Consumer Engagement
March 2nd 2022Based on several reports in the last couple of years, it’s been a standout that healthcare consumers’ engagement in their own healthcare will drive better outcomes and reduce care costs. With that being said, consumer experience has come under major focus across the industry as a key business driver.
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New VCU Institute Aims to Transform Treatment of Liver Disease Care
March 2nd 2022One of the priorities of the new institute at Virginia Commonwealth University’s medical school will be research into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) as a key component in the emerging construct of metabolic health, says its leader, Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.
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FDA Clears New CAR-T Therapy for Multiple Myeloma
March 2nd 2022FDA approved Legend Biotech’s chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) treatment, Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta- cel), to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received four or more prior lines of therapy.
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Briana Contreras, editor of Managed Healthcare Executive spoke with Jason Warrelmann, global director of Healthcare and Life Sciences at UiPath, in this week's episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast. In the discussion Jason addressed the incline of automation in healthcare, why it's necessary for patients and providers and how other healthcare organizations can better overcome the challenges of adopting automation within their health system.
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Employers Face Barriers With Adopting Biosimilars
March 1st 2022Despite the promise of savings billions of dollars in the United States, adoption of biosimilars has been slow. A roundtable discussion among employers highlighted some of the barriers, including formulary design and drug pricing and rebates.
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Study: Here’s Some Evidence That Switching Among Generic Levothyroxine Products Is OK
March 1st 2022Guidelines tell prescribers and patients to avoid switching among levothyroxine products from different manufacturers. But Mayo Clinc-led research finds little difference between switchers and nonswitchers.
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Steps Payers, Hospitals or Other Groups Can Take to Help Improve Patient Access to MRI Care
February 28th 2022In the final part of a two-part video series, Wes Gilson, senior director MR of Business Development at Siemens Healthineers, advises how payers and health facilities can help improve patient access to MRI care, and shares some MRI alternatives.
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UCSF Research: No Synergy From Valued-based Programs for Primary Care Organizations
February 26th 2022Ideally, value-based and technology programs combine to produce better outcomes. But researchers at University of California, San Francisco, found little evidence of synergy in the meaningful use, patient-centered medical home and Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO program.
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FDA Expands Heart Indication for Blockbuster Jardiance
February 26th 2022The new indication for reducing the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure is expected to boost Jardiance’s sales further. Revenue for the drug jumped 38% in 2021 to reach nearly $432 million globally.
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Colon Cancer Screening Erasing Disparities in Outcomes
February 25th 2022Colorectal cancer disparities between Black and white adults were eliminated among Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California after the healthcare organization instituted a regionwide, structured colorectal cancer screening program.
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How Improving Patient Access to MRI's Can Advance Health Equity
February 25th 2022In this first part of a two-part video series, Wes Gilson, senior director MR of Business Development at Siemens Healthineers, addresses why improving access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial to advancing health equity, and what barriers are limiting that access to patients.
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Second mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Primary Series Can Be Extended to 8 Weeks for Some Individuals
February 25th 2022This guidance discusses that individuals 12 years and older can receive the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 3-8 weeks after the first. Additionally, the interval for those 18 years and older for Moderna is 4-8 weeks.
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CVS Caremark Chief: Moderate Drug Spend Increase Shows PBM Is Doing Its Job
February 25th 2022In discussing company’s drug spend report, CVS Caremark President Alan Lotvin, M.D., bats away criticism of the pharmacy benefits management (PBM) industry, blames drugmakers for high drug prices, and says independent pharmacies are doing well because of participation in “humongous buying groups.”
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The Rising Trend of Consumer Choice and What Members Want More Out of Their Plans
February 24th 2022Most Health plans and much of healthcare, overall, have had their feet on the gas when it comes to more patient-centered care or consumer choice services. COVID-19 has clearly made it all about the consumer in many ways, but more specifically, in making care much more accessible.
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Replenishing a Depleted Workforce: How to Support Healthcare Workers Through COVID-19
February 24th 2022With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing and alarming levels of healthcare workers still experiencing stress, burnout, and other negative feelings surrounding their work, it's time to return the favors they've given countless others.
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