The American journal of managed care
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Cancer affects millions of Americans, and the number of cases is steadily rising. The increase in diagnosis of cancer cases comes with an associated increase in personal and economic burden. Earlier detection can improve treatment outcomes and may reduce the burden of cancer. ⋯ Although there are several single-cancer detection tests in development, multicancer screening tests have greater potential to allow for widespread screening in the general population. Three multicancer screening tests are being validated in ongoing clinical trials, including the CancerSEEK assay, the Galleri test, and the PanSeer assay, all of which show high specificity in preliminary findings. Further validation is required before multicancer detection tests are incorporated into general population cancer screening.
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Elderly, homebound individuals comprise a vulnerable segment of society who have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through a myriad of unique challenges. There is a significant amount of fear of acquiring COVID-19 by seeking health care services, which has adversely affected patients by worsening fixable situations. Another challenge is the decrease in diagnostic support for evaluating patients compared with a pre-COVID-19 world. ⋯ Families are being forced to consider advance directives under an increased emotional strain as patients become "persons under investigation" for COVID-19. Technology has allowed for the provision of services through telehealth, and changes to policy by CMS have aided widespread implementation of telemedicine. We anticipate continuing to be nimble in the face of challenge and to provide timely and meaningful care for those who depend on our efforts.
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To assess whether a care coordination and caregiver support intervention reduced use of acute medical services for both patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and their caregivers. ⋯ Although care coordination did not decrease overall acute health services use, coordination improved clinical documentation of patients' memory impairment. ED visits may have begun to decrease among patients. Finally, stress levels may have fallen among caregivers.
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Overuse of telemetry among hospitalized patients results in poor patient care and wasted health care dollars. Guidelines addressing telemetry use have been developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and are effective when applied to specific clinical practices and high-value care. The purpose of our intervention was to facilitate more effective utilization of telemetry in our hospital. We aimed to reduce patient days on telemetry through use of AHA guideline criteria for telemetry. ⋯ The stated intervention resulted in more effective use of telemetry, evidenced by fewer patient days on telemetry and increased numbers of patients on telemetry meeting AHA guidelines for telemetry.
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One in 5 Americans utilizes federally qualified health center (FQHC) services for their primary care, preventive, and community health needs. Medicaid and FQHC programs have been partners at the forefront of addressing population health needs for more than 50 years. ⋯ Community health centers must focus on NEMT use to ensure access to care for rural patients as states reopen. This commentary defines NEMT and ways that FQHCs can enhance it as a Medicaid benefit as states reopen amid COVID-19.