WHO Releases Telemedicine Guide
Although telemedicine took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries face issues maintaining reliable, sustained access to patients who depend [...]
Most Large Medicaid Managed Care Plans Plan Around Health Equity
The Institute for Medicaid Innovation released results from its fifth annual “Medicaid Health Plan Survey, ” revealing that 83% of larger Medicaid managed care plans had some strategy in place, compared to one-third of smaller plans. The data, which comes from nearly all US states, shows that most plans account for race and ethnicity in equity strategies.
Achieving Better Health Outcomes Through Health Equity and Patient-Centered Approaches
Health equity and patient-centricity are both increasingly being considered by pharma companies according to the drug development pipeline. In a new sponsored Fierce Pharma article, Kelvin Tan of Jazz Pharmaceuticals discusses how the company has prioritized these efforts in their oncology and neuroscience projects by advocating for health literacy and patient input.
Improving Care for Dual-Eligible Individuals by Synchronizing Medicare and Medicaid Data
Many people in the US qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Care concerns are often unique for these so-called “dual eligibles,” and significant policy efforts have been made to improve their health outcomes through new models of dual cove rage. Unfortunately, few data resources exist for dual eligible people, complicating health equity efforts.
Using Value-Based Payment to Support Health Equity Starts at Model Design
Although value-based payment (VBP) models offer the opportunity to advance health equity goals, doing so requires an intentional, carefully considered approach. Health equity must be centered in payment model design, according to newly published Health Affairs article in a recent series on VBPs. Patient attribution methods are critical but often overlooked.
FDA Panel Discusses Real-World Evidence Confirming Pulse Oximeters Inaccurate for People with Darker Skin Tones
The US Food and Drug Administration held a panel this week discussing “mounting real-world evidence” (RWE) that pulse oximeters do not work as well on people with darker skin tones. The topic, long discussed and highlighted by communities of color and patient advocacy groups, came to a head during the COVID-19 pandemic wherein inaccurate readings caused worse health outcomes among Black patients in the US.
US Could Save Nearly $4 Trillion by Addressing Health Equity
New data released by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) shows that the US could save $3.8 trillion by addressing health equity in people with chronic health issues. On a more granular level, the study found that the nation would cut healthcare costs by $2.7 trillion and recoup another $1.1 due to lost work hours in 10 years.
Advancing Disability Research via Harmonized Data
Recent efforts to advance disability research, healthcare, and policymaking have been held back by a lack of large, high-quality sources of real-world data (RWD) regarding disabled people. In a newly published article in Health Affairs, authors discuss how harmonizing disability-related RWD sources could help address this pressing issue.
Supporting the Social Determinants of Health Infrastructure with Federal Funding
The growing public focus on social determinants of health (SDoH) spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic has outstripped the infrastructure in place to address issues of health equity. According to several stakeholders, increased federal funding is key to advancing these goals and developing a tech infrastructure that can support SDoH-related efforts
San Diego Non-Profit and Managed Care Company Brings Free Healthcare to Unhoused People
A non-profit team of clinicians is providing comprehensive care to San Diego’s unhoused population in a partnership with Medi-Cal, a medical provider for low-income people in California, and Molina Healthcare of California, a managed care company. The team, called Healthcare in Action, is comprised of five clinicians who work five days a week to give unhoused people care for chronic conditions and, critically, mental illnesses.
UICC and WHO to Negotiate Prices for Cancer Generics and Biosimilars
Cancer drug price negotiations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) will center around biosimilars and generics. The goal is to increase access to life-saving medications for people living in low and low-middle income countries (LMICs). Negotiations will begin with drugs on the WHO’s Essential Medicines List.
AJMC “What We’re Reading” – Uninsured Children, HIV and Monkeypox, and Health Outcomes by US State
In the latest edition of “What We’re Reading,” the AJMC staff cover several breaking stories. A recent study found that people living in conservative US states have lower life expectancies than more liberal ones. The researchers’ anaysis shows that over 170,000 lives could be saved if certain liberal policies were enacted nationwide. In other news, new data shows a striking comorbidity between monkeypox and HIV.
Study Finds Elevated Disability Rates Among Transgender Adults
A newly published study in Health Affairs found that transgender adults in the US face significantly higher rates of disability than their peers who are not trans. The study looked at longitudinal data from 2014-2020 collected from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The results find that trans adults are twice as likely to have a disability than their non-trans peers.
New Asthma Health Equity Index Helps Identify Needs for Children with Asthma
Researchers presenting at the 2022 AAP National Conference & Exhibition earlier this month put forward a new index that helped identify individual needs of children with asthma. The Asthma Health Equity Index collects and displays data related to social determinants of health (SDoH) to empower health equity efforts. The researchers tested the index by contacting the households of children who had recent emergency department visits for poorly managed asthma.
Using Community Health Partnerships to Promote Better Health OutcomesUsing Community Health Partnerships to Promote Better Health Outcomes
Social determinants of health (SDoH) play an outsized role in health outcomes. Therefore, targeting these factors through community engagement can play a big role in improving the health of those who traditionally experience health disparities. In a new article, Michael Minor of UnitedHealthcare explains how to foster health equity through partnerships with community-based organizations.
Meta-Analysis Confirms Racial Discrimination Worsens Pregnancy Outcomes
A recent meta-analysis in BMJ Global Health concluded that racial discrimination in the US negatively impacts health outcomes for pregnant people. The high maternal mortality rates experienced by Black Americans has been a pressing, but long-sidelined issue in the US. This work helps to pin down racial discrimination as a primary contributor to such health disparities
African Health Organizations Commit $100 Million to Expanding Healthcare Workforce
Late last month, a group of health organizations from African countries announced a new $100 million initiative to expand their continent’s healthcare workforces. The group was comprised of membersfrom Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, the African Union (AU), and the Africa Centres for Disease Controls (Africa CDC). This is meant to address the health inequity faced by many Africans.
Supporting Health Equity Via Data Management
Recently, a key goal of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been to promote health equity efforts. Doing so requires a deep understanding of how social determinants of health (SDoH) impact health outcomes. In a new Medical Economics article, Kamala Green discusses how data management is central to these efforts
UnitedHealthcare Invests $5 Million to Promote Health Equity for Disabled Members
The insurer UnitedHealthcare has announced a $5 million investment in the Multi-Assistance Center (MAC) at Morgan’s Wonderland, an organization dedicated to improving health equity for disabled people. The investment will be allocated to the organization’s Employment Support Center and the Practice without Pressure program. Disabled people can get connected with job opportunities, counseling, and education through the Employment Support Center.
Improving Access to Care for Indigenous Americans Via Telemedicine
Indigenous people face significant systemic barriers to accessing healthcare that result in worse health outcomes. The Indian Health Service (IHS) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) exists to serve this community, but the remote regions where indigenous tribal nations are located makes getting care difficult. According to a new article in AJMC¸ telehealth can help increase access to all kinds of care, ranging from specialty services to emergency care.
Renalytics to Present Real-World Evidence for KidneyIntelX Platform
Renalytics has announced that its speakers will give four presentations at this years American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week early this coming November. The talks will focus on the company’s real-world evidence (RWE) nephrology platform KidneyIntelX. One talk will elaborate on the platform’s use to determine kidney disease progression in Black Americans, while another will detail how the platform helped identify kidney health inequities
Modelling Health Outcomes, Healthcare Spending, and Health Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
The populations of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have poor health outcomes stemming from historical and current systemic oppression, underfunding of healthcare systems, and poor medical educational outreach. This issue is best highlighted by stark disparities in maternal mortality rates. In a newly published article in Globalization in Health, a modelling approach was used to help identify areas of improvement to aid health equity efforts in the region.
COVID-19 Pandemic Reduced Access to Care for Disabled Patients in US
The ongoing COVID-19 has caused massive disruptions to the healthcare system, disrupting care for many patients. According to a newly published article in Health Affairs, disabled patients in the US were particularly impacted. Data from the 2020 National Health Inteview Survey showed that many patients lost access to important care for serious, chronic conditions, worsening patient outcomes.
Addressing Health Equity and Driving Innovation Through Population Health
In a panel discussion at the 70th Annual Roy A. Bowers Pharmaceutical Conference, speakers talked about advancing health equity at the population health level. The moderator, Ethan Halm, MD, MPH, MBA, spoke about the gap in research in population health and how decent years have seen a growing interest in social determinants of health and their impact on health outcomes. Doing so will require advanced data analytics to help develop population-level interventions.
Value in Health Regional Issues: Developing Population-Based Valuation Techniques to Improve Health Equity in Uganda
Using insights from health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) to reduce health disparities requires assessing the population’s views, preferences, and aversions regarding health inequity. A recently published paper in Value in Health: Regional Issues found that surveys assessing these views in higher-income countries are effective in Uganda, meaning they can be applied to lower- and middle-income nations.
