Managed Care Cast

This week, the top managed care stories included a new rule from CMS to address drug costs for seniors; a campaign to get payers to fund the artificial pancreas is working; and a new survey identifies how Americans prefer to treat pain. Read more about the stories in this podcast: New CMS Rule Takes Aim at Drug Costs for Seniors, Opioid Crisis: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/new-cms-rule-takes-aim-at-drug-costs-for-seniors-opioid-crisis JDRF Announces Anthem Policy Change on Medtronic Artificial Pancreas: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/jdrf-announces-anthem-policy-change-on-medtronic-artificial-pancreas Survey Identifies Americans' Preferences for Pain Management: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/survey-identifies-americans-preferences-for-pain-management ASCO's TAPUR Study Expands to Enroll Patients Receiving Immunotherapy: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/ascos-tapur-study-expands-to-enroll-patients-receiving-immunotherapy Changes in Cardiovascular Care Provision After the Affordable Care Act: www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2017/2017-v

This week, the top stories in managed care included new hypertension guidelines lowering the threshold for high blood pressure, Trump nominating a new HHS secretary, and many consumers now have access to less expensive Affordable Care Act plans. High Blood Pressure Starts at 130/80, New Guidelines Say: www.ajmc.com/conferences/aha-2017/80-new-guidelines-say Trump Nominates Alex Azar, Former Lilly Executive, to Lead HHS: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/trump-nominates-alex-azar-former-lilly-executive-to-lead-hhs Kaiser Analysis: For Many, Health Coverage Costs Less Than Individual Mandate Penalty: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/kaiser-analysis-for-many-health-coverage-costs-less-than-individual-mandate-penalty Patient-Centered Oncology Care: www.ajmc.com/conferences/pcoc-2017/

This week, the top managed care stories included a vote in Maine to expand Medicaid and other election day 2017 results; CMS issued final rules for the Diabetes Prevention Program; and a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology highlighted the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Read more about the stories in this episode: Maine Votes by Ballot Measure to Expand Medicaid, but the Governor Remains Opposed: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/maine-votes-by-ballot-measure-to-expand-medicaid-but-the-governor-remains-opposed Final Medicare DPP Rule Adjusts Maintenance Period, Excludes Digital Providers: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/final-medicare-dpp-rule-adjusts-maintenance-period-excludes-digital-providers ASCO: Alcohol Linked to Several Types of Cancer: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/asco-alcohol-linked-to-several-types-of-cancer American College of Rheumatology 2017 Annual Meeting: www.ajmc.com/conferences/acr-2017 Patient-Centered Oncology Care®: www.ajmc.com/meetings/pcoc17#register

Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, of Catalyst for Payment Reform, and Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, discuss payment reform in the healthcare industry, including quality measurements and accountable care organizations.

This week, the top managed care news included the first day of open enrollment; data from CMS that indicate the progress accountable care organizations are making; and findings that most people with obesity aren't get screened for it or getting care. Read more about the stories in this episode: Battered but Still on the Books, the ACA Starts a New Round of Open Enrollment: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/1101/battered-but-still-on-the-books-the-aca-starts-a-new-round-of-open-enrollment CMS Releases Medicare Shared Savings Program 2016 Results: www.ajmc.com/contributor/travis-broome/2017/10/cms-releases-medicare-shared-savings-program-2016-results Novartis Seeks Second Indication for Tisagenlecleucel: DLBCL: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/novartis-seeks-second-indication-for-tisagenlecleucel-dlbcl Most With Obesity Don't Get a Diagnosis or Referral for Care, Study Finds: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/most-with-obesity-dont-get-a-diagnosis-or-referral-for-care-study-finds Patient-Centered Oncology Care® registration: www.aj

This week, the top managed care news included a judge ruling President Donald Trump can end the cost-sharing reduction subsidies; findings on awareness of the Choosing Wisely campaign; and conference coverage from around the nation at NAMCP, COA, and more. Read more about the stories in this episode: Judge Says Trump Can Block CSR Payments: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/judge-says-trump-can-block-csr-payments Choosing Wisely Brings Lots of Energy, but No Growth in Awareness: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/1024/choosing-wisely-brings-lots-of-energy-but-no-growth-in-awareness COA Payer Exchange Summit VII: www.ajmc.com/conferences/coa-2017-oncology-payment-reform National Association of Managed Care Physicians Fall Forum 2017: www.ajmc.com/conferences/namcp-fall-2017 VBID Summit Explores How Congress Can Make High-Deductible Plans Work for Consumers: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/vbid-summit-explores-how-congress-can-make-highdeductible-plans-work-for-consumers

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 the bipartisan deal to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets; coverage from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus; a plan to reduce clinician burnout at the computer; and an FDA advisory panel has recommended approval for semaglutide, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist. Read more about the stories in this episode: Deal Reached to Keep Health Insurance Subsidies: www.ajmc.com/focus-of-the-week/1017/Deal-Reached-to-Keep-Health-Insurance-Subsidies The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2017: www.ajmc.com/conferences/amcp-nexus-2017 Kite Pharma's CAR T-Cell Treatment Approved, Cheaper Than Tisagenlecleucel: www.ajmc.com/newsroom/kite-pharmas-car-t-cell-treatment-approved-cheaper-than-tisagenlecleucel AMA Seeks to Make Health Data Work Better for Doctors, Patients: www.ajmc.co

As the senior national correspondent at Kaiser Health News, Sarah Varney covers health policy, specifically looking at federal law and how it rolls out in states and local jurisdictions. During her conversation with Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, she explained how her articles are shaped by the time she spends in the field talking to people affected by the policy decisions made in Washington, DC, or state capitals.

This week, the top managed care stories included a new executive order to allow sale of health insurance across state lines; Iowa wait for a response to its request to opt out of parts of the Affordable Care Act; and a new study finds childhood obesity increased 10-fold over 4 decades.

This week, the top managed care stories included speculation regarding who would replace Tom Price, MD, as HHS secretary; a report on breast cancer mortality trends and racial disparities from 1989 to 2015; and the FDA announced new strategies to improve patient access to less expensive drugs.

This week, the top managed care stories included the end of the latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act; a call to include the patient's voice in cancer quality metrics; and an argument for caution regarding the newly approved CAR T-cell therapy, Kymriah.

Recovering from the devastation in hurricane-affected areas will take a long time, as Michael Griffin, president and CEO and Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans, knows well. Twelve years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast city, New Orleans is still recovering. In a discussion with Patricia Salber, MD, MBA, of The Doctor Weighs In, Griffin explains his experience in New Orleans, where the recovery currently is, and what lessons he's learned that hard hit areas, like Puerto Rico can take note of during these difficult months and years of rebuilding.

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 stories included a new direction for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation; a bipartisan group of governors spoke out against the latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act; and the World Health Organization warned that antibiotics currently being developed were not enough to fight antibiotic-resistant infections.

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 stories in managed care included competing healthcare reform bills in the Senate; the FDA announced progress in clearing up the backlog of orphan drug requests; and a study examines how much it really costs to bring a drug to the market.

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 stories included more insurers rolling back participation in Affordable Care Act exchanges, while governors testify ways to stabilize the market; the FDA put 3 combination trials of nivolumab on hold; and a study finds very few visits to the emergency department are truly avoidable.

In New Jersey, the call went out to find volunteer nurses willing to travel down to Texas to help with relief efforts and assist those nurses who were tired and overworked in the flood zone, and 50 nurses answered the call within a few days.

This week, the top stories in managed care include a disaster relief efforts in Houston after Hurricane Harvey; the approval of the first gene therapy in the United States; and a new cardiovascular indication for a popular drug to treat type 2 diabetes.

This week, the top stories in managed care include a study on which mammogram recommendations to follow; findings that continuous glucose monitoring benefits patients with type 2 diabetes; and a new position statement on treating patients with diabetes and hypertension.

Surviving cancer doesn't mean the challenges are all in the past. After cancer is treated and cured, many survivors still face financial debt and lingering toxcities that impact their lives. Samantha Eisenstein Watson, MBA, CEO and founder of The Samfund, explains the challenges that young adult cancer survivors, in particular, go through and how her organization tries to help alleviate some of the financial burden. Plus, a look at what the effects of cancer treatment mean for fertility and what challenges this represents for young adults.

This week, the top managed care articles included a report from the Congressional Budget Office on the impact of eliminating the Affordable Care Act's cost-sharing reduction payments; a decision from CMS to eliminate 2 mandatory bundled payment programs; and a new value-based alliance that called for ending use of a test for diagnosing heart attacks.