Managed Care Cast

2020 is the 25th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care®

and October’s edition of the journal features an interview with Kavita Patel, MD, MS, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution and a primary care physician.

Ten months into the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some states continue to struggle to keep up with new cases and protect their most vulnerable populations from bearing the brunt of the disease.

However, one state was able to get ahead of the pandemic early on, and, through public private-partnerships, secured immediate care for hundreds of the highest risk individuals within weeks. On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Susan Mani, MD, the chief population health officer for LifeBridge Health, and Trenor Williams, MD, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Socially Determined.

Together, Dr. Mani and Dr. Williams lay out how Maryland’s COVID-19 task force on vulnerable populations was able to leverage data on social determinants of health and analytics to rapidly pinpoint populations most at risk of severe COVID-19 complications and optimize preventive and treatment measures.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week.

This week, the top managed care news included the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection in the United States; a positive side to halting trials to evaluate vaccine safety; a rise in employer-sponsored health insurance premiums for 2020.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

First Case of COVID-19 Reinfection Detected in the US: https://www.ajmc.com/view/first-case-of-covid-19-reinfection-detected-in-the-us

Dr Maura Abbott Explains How Halting Trials to Evaluate Vaccine Safety Is a Good Thing: https://www.ajmc.com/view/dr-maura-abbott-explains-how-halting-trials-to-evaluate-vaccine-safety-is-a-good-thing

KFF Survey Finds Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Premiums Rose 4% in 2020: https://www.ajmc.com/view/kff-survey-finds-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-premiums-rose-4-in-2020

Dialysis Is on the Ballot Again in California: https://www.ajmc.com/view/dialysis-is-on-the-ballot-again-in-california

CHEST Annual Meeting: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/chest

AMCP Nexus: The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/amcp-nexus

Kidney Week: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/asn

Paper of the Week: Improvements in Access and Care Through the Affordable Care Act: https://www.ajmc.com/view/improvements-in-access-and-care-through-the-affordable-care-act

Addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) means addressing racism, wrote Ingrid Katz, MD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and Abraar Karan, MD, MPH, DTM&H, an internist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in an opinion piece published in British Medical Journal.

In the latest Managed Care Cast, they speak with Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, about the article, why racism is an issue for doctors to address, and how well medicine is or is not doing with respect to addressing racism in admission to and graduation from medical school, teaching and studying the health impacts of racism in medical teaching, and encouraging more minority medical students to train as medical researchers.

Read the original article by Katz and Karan: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/06/05/there-is-no-stopping-covid-19-without-stopping-racism/​

Read more about racial and ethnic disparities in health care:

Key Steps to Reduce Racial Cancer Disparities Include Supporting Minority Scientists, Diversifying Medical Schools and Clinical Trials: https://www.ajmc.com/view/key-steps-to-reduce-racial-cancer-disparities-include-supporting-minority-scientists-diversifying-medical-schools-and-clinical-trials

Addressing Cancer Disparities Requires Asking Questions and Putting Aside Assumptions: https://www.ajmc.com/view/addressing-cancer-disparities-requires-asking-questions-and-putting-aside-assumptions

Does Intersection of Racial, Gender Biases Affect Heart Failure Treatment Decisions? https://www.ajmc.com/view/does-intersection-of-racial-gender-biases-affect-heart-failure-treatment-decisions

Dr Anthony Fauci on Health Disparities Affecting People of Color: https://www.ajmc.com/view/dr-anthony-fauci-on-health-disparities-affecting-people-of-color

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week.

This week, the top managed care news included President Donald Trump’s discharge from the hospital; a poll finds Americans trust Joe Biden to lead the US health care system; Nobel Prize awarded to scientists who discovered the hepatitis C virus.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Trump to Be Discharged From Hospital Despite Continued COVID-19 Treatments: https://www.ajmc.com/view/trump-to-be-discharged-from-hospital-for-covid-19-symptoms

More Americans Trust Biden to Lead US Health Care System, West Health-Gallup Poll Finds: https://www.ajmc.com/view/more-americans-trust-biden-to-lead-us-health-care-system-west-health-gallup-poll-finds

Discovery of Hepatitis C Virus Brings Nobel Prize: https://www.ajmc.com/view/discovery-of-hepatitis-c-virus-brings-nobel-prize

Study Highlights Persistent Racial Disparities in Insulin Pump Use Among Children With T1D: https://www.ajmc.com/view/study-highlights-persistent-racial-disparities-in-insulin-pump-use-among-children-with-t1d

Migraine Trust International Symposium Conference Coverage: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/mtis

Paper of the Week: A Way Out of the Dismal Arithmetic of Hepatitis C Treatment: https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-way-out-of-the-dismal-arithmetic-of-hepatitis-c-treatment

Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer; it is treatable but not curable. Men with breast cancer comprise less than 1% of all patients with the disease, and most of their treatments are based on study results seen among female patients. This year alone, experts predict that 276,480 women and 2620 men will receive a breast cancer diagnosis.

The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke recently with Kirby Lewis of West Virginia. Kirby was a stage 2 breast cancer survivor, for which he had a mastectomy in 2012, prior to receiving a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in 2016. He is 1 of 9 patient faces participating in “Facing MBC Together” from Athenex Oncology.

In this interview, he talks about what sustains him and his mission to spread awareness about male MBC.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week.

This week, the top managed care news included the president testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); progress in diabetes technology coverage and access for Medicare beneficiaries; an inside look into how colleges and universities addressed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Trump, First Lady Test Positive for Coronavirus; Trump Enters Hospital: https://www.ajmc.com/view/trump-first-lady-test-positive-for-coronavirus

How Have Colleges, Universities Addressed the COVID-19 Pandemic? https://www.ajmc.com/view/how-have-colleges-universities-addressed-the-covid-19-pandemic-

Patient-Centered Oncology Care: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/pcoc

Moderna SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Elicits Response in Older Adults: https://www.ajmc.com/view/moderna-sars-cov-2-vaccine-elicits-response-in-older-adults

Referral Management and the Care of Patients With Diabetes: https://www.ajmc.com/view/feb04-1712p137-143

Despite decades of experimentation, there have not been large increases in health care quality in the United States. What will move the needle?

In this week’s Managed Care Cast, Elizabeth McGlynn, PhD, speaks with Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, about health care quality in the United States, quality measurement and incentives, what the United States can do to drive quality improvement, how social determinants fit into the picture, and more.

McGlynn serves as Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine’s Interim Senior Associate Dean for Research and Scholarships and as a professor. She is an internationally known expert on methods for evaluating the appropriateness and quality of health care delivery.

Read more about health care quality in the United States:

Can Healthcare Quality Measures Benefit Patient Health https://www.ajmc.com/view/can-healthcare-quality-measures-benefit-patient-health

Dr Kerin Adelson Discusses Evolution in Physician Response to Quality Care Initiatives: https://www.ajmc.com/view/dr-kerin-adelson-discusses-evolution-in-physician-response-to-quality-care-initiatives

Can Accountable Care Divert the Sources of Hospitalization https://www.ajmc.com/view/can-accountable-care-divert-the-sources-of-hospitalization

Healthcare Needs Bipartisan Support to Benefit Patients, Stabenow Says: https://www.ajmc.com/view/healthcare-needs-bipartisan-support-to-benefit-patients-stabenow-says

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week.

This week, the top managed care news included a Supreme Court vacancy that could shape the fate of the Affordable Care Act; the pandemic’s effects on access to care; a look at the opportunities presented by the virtual format of Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

How a Supreme Court Vacancy Can Shape the Fate of the ACA, Reproductive Rights: https://www.ajmc.com/view/how-a-supreme-court-vacancy-can-shape-the-fate-of-the-aca-reproductive-rights

Access to Parkinson Disease Medication Affected in Low-Income Countries: https://www.ajmc.com/view/access-to-parkinson-disease-medication-affected-in-low-income-countries

ACR Survey Reveals Patients Struggle to Maintain Access to Care During COVID-19 Pandemic: https://www.ajmc.com/view/acr-survey-reveals-patients-struggle-to-maintain-access-to-care-during-covid-19-pandemic

Patient-Centered Oncology Care: https://www.ajmc.com/conference/pcoc

FDA Accepts Anti-BCMA Ide-cel for MM for Priority Review: https://www.ajmc.com/view/fda-accepts-anti-bcma-ide-cel-for-mm-for-priority-review

Incorporating Value Into Physician Payment and Patient Cost Sharing: https://www.ajmc.com/view/incorporating-value-into-physician-payment-and-patient-cost-sharing

Allison Brennan, MPP, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) discusses legislation that would impact ACOs, the impact coronavirus disease 2019 had on ACOs, and the fall NAACOS meeting.

Learn more:

NAACOS Partner Page on AJMC.com: https://www.ajmc.com/partners/naacos

NAACOS Fall 2020 Conference Agenda: https://www.naacos.com/fall-agenda