Who sets the price for medications and other supplies used in hospitals and why are there shortages of some of these items? Martin Makary, MD, MPH, a surgical oncologist and chief of the Johns Hopkins Islet Transplant Center as well as executive director of Choosing Wisely, discussed this issue and its ramifications for healthcare costs.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included a CDC report that found life expectancy in the United States declined again; telemedicine use among physicians remains low; another study added to the debate over who should take statins.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

CDC Data: Life Expectancy Decreases as Deaths From Suicide, Drug Overdose Increase: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/cdc-data-life-expectancy-decreases-as-deaths-from-suicide-drug-overdose-increase

Report Uncovers Rising Death Rates Among Whites at Midlife, Citing Addiction, Suicide, and Pain: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/report-uncovers-rising-death-rates-among-whites-at-midlife-citing-addiction-suicide-and-pain

Telemedicine Use Among Physicians Remains Relatively Low: https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/telemedicine-use-among-physicians-remains-relatively-low

New Study Adds to Debate Over Statin Use to Prevent CVD: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/new-study-adds-to-debate-over-statin-use-to-prevent-cvd

Real-World Evidence With Axicabtagene Ciloleucel CAR T Treatment Similar to ZUMA-1 Trial Findings: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/ash-2018/realworld-evidence-with-axicabtagene-ciloleucel-car-t-treatment-similar-to-zuma1-trial-findings

Length of Hospital Stay Key Driver of Costs Associated With CRS Following CAR T Treatment: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/ash-2018/length-of-hospital-stay-key-driver-of-costs-associated-with-crs-following-car-t-treatment

Dr Theresa Keegan: AYAs Continue to Be Underrepresented in Clinical Trials: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/ash-2018/dr-theresa-keegan-ayas-continue-to-be-underrepresented-in-clinical-trials

American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/ash-2018

The American Journal of Accountable Care—December 2018: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/ajac/2018/2018-vol6-n4

Mental Health and Diabetes Control Among Vulnerable Primary Care Patients: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/ajac/2018/2018-vol6-n4/mental-health-and-diabetes-control-among-vulnerable-primary-care-patients

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common conditions in childhood and is often treated by primary care providers. Earlier this year, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a comparative effectiveness review called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents.

The lead author of the report, Alex R. Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, discussed the key findings with Managed Care Cast. Kemper, a board-certified pediatrician and chief of the division of ambulatory pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, talked about what doctors and families need to know in order to understand the best treatment options.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included a CMS plan for changes in drug coverage that brought a wave of criticism; a government task force recommended more people at risk for HIV take pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP; the American College of Cardiology issued an Expert Consensus Pathway on treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

CMS Aims at Drug Prices Through Part D, MA Step Therapy, Pharmacy Rebates: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/cms-aims-at-drug-prices-through-part-d-ma-step-therapy-pharmacy-rebates

CMS Finalizes New Structure to Move Home Health to Value-Based Payment: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/cms-finalizes-new-structure-to-move-home-health-to-valuebased-payment

USPSTF Recommends Clinicians Prescribe HIV PrEP to All High-Risk Patients: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/uspstf-recommends-clinicians-prescribe-hiv-prep-to-all-highrisk-patients

ACC Pathway Finds Empagliflozin "Preferred" SGLT2 Therapy for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, ASCVD: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/acc-pathway-finds-empagliflozin-preferred-sglt2-therapy-for-patients-with-type-2-diabetes-ascvd

American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/ash-2018

Twitter: @EBOncology: https://twitter.com/eboncology

Using Data to Combat the Opioid Epidemic by Managed Care Cast

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included HHS Secretary Alex Azar hinting that the government may get more involved in addressing social needs impacting health; work rules in Arkansas cost thousands their Medicaid coverage; research finds a shorter course of hepatitis C treatment may be just as effective as the full course of treatment.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Azar: CMMI Will Get More Involved in Addressing Social Needs Driving Health Issues: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/azar-cmmi-will-get-more-involved-in-addressing-social-needs-driving-health-issues

Advocates Lambast Growing Number of Uninsured in Arkansas Due to Work Rules: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/advocates-lambast-growing-number-of-uninsured-in-arkansas-due-to-work-rules

Shortening Treatment Time Maintains Efficacy, Saves Costs in Hepatitis C: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/shortening-treatment-time-maintains-efficacy-saves-costs-in-hepatitis-c

Stricter Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Prevent Cardiovascular Events, but Debate Continues: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/stricter-blood-pressure-guidelines-could-prevent-cardiovascular-events-but-debate-continues

The American Journal of Managed Care® Names Dr Erin Trish as the 2018 Recipient of the Seema S. Sonnad Emerging Leader in Managed Care Research Award: www.ajmc.com/press-release/the-american-journal-of-managed-careisupregsup-names-dr-erin-trish-as-the-2018-recipient-of-the-seema-s-sonnad-emerging-leader-in-managed-care-research-award

AMA's McAneny Calls for Real-time Oncology Payment Model Led by Physicians: www.ajmc.com/conferences/pcoc2018/mcaneny-calls-for-realtime-oncology-payment-model-led-by-physicians

Patient-Centered Oncology Care 2018: www.ajmc.com/conferences/pcoc2018

A lot of healthcare is simply exchange of information, but the current healthcare system doesn’t allow for that exchange to happen in a convenient way. The Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) has released a new roadmap that reinvents healthcare in the United States through the use of technology.

Susan Dentzer, president and CEO of NEHI, discusses the Health Care Without Walls model of care, how it would improve care, as well as physician work satisfaction, and what it would take to implement such a system.

Read more about NEHI and telehealth:

NEHI Recommends Implementing Value-Based Contracts With High-Cost Oncology Treatments: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/nehi-recommends-implementing-valuebased-contracts-with-highcost-oncology-treatments-

Getting Telehealth Right: Engaging Patients and Providers: https://www.ajmc.com/conferences/acr-2016/getting-telehealth-right--engaging-patients-and-providers-virtually-in-health-wellness-and-treatment

More Patients Willing to Switch to Telehealth Providers: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/more-patients-willing-to-switch-to-telehealth-providers

Telemedicine: The Cost-Effective Future of Healthcare: https://www.ajmc.com/contributor/john-rehm/2016/12/telemedicine-the-cost-effective-future-of-healthcare

Telehealth Use Limited in Some Federal Health Programs, GAO Finds: https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/telehealth-use-limited-in-some-federal-health-programs-gao-finds

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included research that showed cancer surpassed cardiovascular disease to be the leading cause of death in high-income counties; HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced a new mandatory payment model is coming to oncology; a policy change could make mental health treatment more available.

Read more about the stories in this podcast:

Cancer Surpasses CVD as Leading Cause of Death in High-Income Counties: https://www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/cancer-surpasses-cvd-as-leading-cause-of-death-in-highincome-counties

Azar Announces Mandatory Oncology Payment Model Is Coming: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/azar-announces-mandatory-oncology-payment-model-is-coming

HHS Lifting IMD Exclusion for Medicaid Payment for Inpatient Mental Health Treatment: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/hhs-lifting-imd-exclusion-for-medicaid-payment-for-inpatient-mental-health-treatment

Gallup-Sharecare Report Shows How Diabetes Ranks Grew Across the US: https://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/gallupsharecare-report-shows-how-diabetes-ranks-grew-across-the-us

The American Journal of Managed Care—November 2018: https://www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2018/2018-vol24-n11

Using Community-Based Care Management to Lower Service Use, Spending Among High-Risk Patients by Managed Care Cast

CGRP Inhibitors: A Promising New Class of Drugs for Migraine by Managed Care Cast