Managed Care Cast

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Jason Spangler, MD, MPH, the CEO of the Center for Innovation and Value Research, formerly known as the Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI). We discuss the strengths and limitations of health technology assessment (HTA), one major limitation being its lack of equity. We also touch on IVI's recent rebrand to the Center for Innovation and Value Research on July 16 and how people can get involved.

Melissa Clarke, MD, CMQ, the chief health equity officer at Elevance Health, explains "Health Equity by Design" and how Elevance Health is committed to ensuring a personalized and intentional approach for all its members, regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and geographic or financial access.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Jason Shafrin, PhD, the senior managing director of FTI Consulting's Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy and an adjunct professor in the University of Southern California's Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. His study, "Quantifying the Insurance Value for Rare Diseases: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy," estimates the insurance value of novel Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treatment from a survey of individuals planning to have children.

Today we are bringing you a conversation between 3 experts on paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, vice president of Pharmacy at Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, spoke with Jamie Koprivnikar, MD, of John Theurer Cancer Center; David Dingli, MD, PhD, of Mayo Clinic; and Brian P. Mulherin, MD, of American Oncology Network. The topics of conversation for today’s podcast include the pathophysiology of PNH, complement inhibitors, treatment strategies, and the challenges of managing this rare, life-threatening disorder.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Sreekanth Chaguturu, MD, the chief medical officer of CVS Health. We discuss the impact of recent pharmaceutical innovations, namely glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and biosimilars, on patient health outcomes. Also, we explore the role of trust between patients and providers in adopting new medications, along with initiatives used to reduce drug prices and improve access.

Kim Zynn, vice president of UPMC Health Plan's provider network and development relations team, shares how physicians can become LGBTQIA+ affirming providers, which is designated within the health plan.

Douglas Weber, MD, explains how zuranolone has changed the landscape for postpartum depression treatment, addressing a gap in care within the specialty.

Charlie Borowicz, manager of trans and gender diverse health at Allegheny Health Network, shares how the program offers comprehensive patient-first care to those in the LGBTQ and gender diverse community.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the University of Southern California's Erin Duffy, PhD, MPH, an author of a study published in the June 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®. Her study, "Deductible Double Jeopardy: Patients May Pay More Out of Pocket When Pregnancy Crosses 2 Years" discusses how annual high-deductible insurance plans may increase maternity care costs when pregnancies cross 2 calendar years, causing patients to hit their cost-sharing limits twice.

In this fifth, and final, special bonus episode of our Pride Month series, we speak with Lauren Albrecht, director of advocacy and organizing, and Layla Orlando, director of health equity and wellness, at Garden State Equality, the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey.

In our fourth Pride Month podcast episode, we are speaking with Domenico Ruggerio, executive director of We Are Family, in Charleston, South Carolina, the state's oldest nonprofit, which provides life-affirming and life-saving programs for LGBTQ+ youth.

For June, we are bringing you a limited-edition podcast series to celebrate Pride Month. In our third episode, we speak with Patrick McGovern, CEO of Callen-Lorde since August of 2023 and an outspoken advocate for HIV, LGBTQ+, and community health.

In this interview, we discuss immigrant health with Kheir Mugwaneza, the lead project manager of the Immigrant and Refugee Health Program at Allegheny Health Network.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dr Paige Nong, the author of a study published in the Health IT bonus issue. Her study, "Equity and AI Governance at Academic Medical Centers," found that academic medical centers show minimal consideration for equity when developing governance for AI technologies; this highlights the need for health systems and policymakers to prioritize equity literacy and oversight policies.

For June, we are bringing you a limited-edition podcast series to celebrate Pride Month. In our second episode, we speak with Perry Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, dean and Hunterdon Professor of Public Health & Health Equity at the Rutgers School of Public Health and founder and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies at Rutgers, and James F. Dougherty, MS, VMD, Rutgers’ alumnus, former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the university, and current member of its Board of Governors.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Kristine Ashcraft, the president and founder of YouScript, a tool that helps to predict adverse drug events and personalize patient care. We discuss the lack of awareness of genetic variants among patients and the recent adoption of biomarker testing legislation in some states. This legislation will increase biomarker testing access, which will help providers to distribute the proper treatments to more patients based on identified genetic variants.

For June, we are bringing you a limited-edition podcast series to celebrate Pride Month. In this, our first episode, we speak with Tiffany Shirley, president of Lancaster Pride.

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, Nihar Desai, MD, MPH, cardiologist and vice chief of Cardiology at the Yale School of Medicine, discusses therapies for cardiovascular conditions as they relate to patient adherence, polypharmacy, and health access.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Illinois CancerCare's Pankaj Kumar, MD, and Stephanie Parker, PharmD, 2 authors of a commentary published in the May 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care. Their commentary, "Access Denied: CMS’ Action Hurts Patients With Cancer in Rural America," discusses how recent CMS rules restricted the access of rural patients with cancer to medically integrated pharmacies, emphasizing the need for regulatory change.

In the series debut episode of Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity, Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.