The American journal of managed care
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To compare 12-month total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) rates for digital musculoskeletal (MSK) program members vs patients who received traditional care for knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ These findings suggest that patients who participated in a digital MSK program to manage OA have lower rates of total joint arthroplasty in the 12 months after enrollment.
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To assess the association between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and change in low-value cancer services. ⋯ Low-value cancer care remained prevalent throughout the pandemic. Policy makers should consider changes to payment and incentive design to turn the tide against low-value cancer care.
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Medication persistence in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a critical factor for preventing adverse clinical events. We assessed persistence among newly treated patients with T2D and documented the impact of persistence on clinical outcomes and costs. ⋯ Our findings show low persistence among patients with T2D and emphasize the importance of medication persistence, which is associated with cost savings and lower risk of hospitalizations.
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To identify the most frequently prescribed medications, the location where prescriptions were filled, and whether a voucher was utilized among patients enrolled in a charitable care program within an academic medical center. ⋯ Overall, this study was able to characterize patient demographics, historical costs related to charitable care coverage, and the utilization of health care services among this population. This information can be used to support the development and implementation of a charitable medication formulary, with the aims of improving quality of care for this population and reducing medical center costs.
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Observational Study
Office procedures for older adults by physician associates and nurse practitioners.
We hypothesized that physician associate (PA) and nurse practitioner (NP) procedural roles are expanding. We sought to describe ambulatory procedures these professionals performed in 2021 for older adults. ⋯ Overall, PAs performed more skin and musculoskeletal procedures than NPs, and NPs performed more procedures in the other 7 procedure clusters than PAs. PA and NP employment growth does not fully explain these observations. We suggest that outpatient procedural task-shifting activity presents an area for further research.