The American journal of managed care
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Patient and Caregiver Support for Serious Illness (PACSSI), a per-member per-month (PMPM) alternative reimbursement structure for palliative care (PC) services, has been described as overly generous by HHS. We developed a modified version, PACSSI-Flexible (PACSSI-F), by modeling reimbursement for PC based on the changes in patient functional status. We estimated reimbursement for the first year that an organization might implement the PACSSI-F for PC services. ⋯ Modeling of the PACSSI-F using secondary data provides a novel example of economic forecasting for alternative reimbursement structures in PC. Alternative reimbursement payment policies are necessary to expand PC for the seriously ill population.
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To quantify the clinical and economic burden of patients with severe asthma with low blood eosinophil counts (BECs) untreated with biologics. ⋯ Among patients with severe asthma with low eosinophils untreated with biologics, there is a high burden of disease among those who have suboptimal disease control, highlighting an unmet need in severe asthma treatment.
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Optimizing patient outcomes is a goal for medication therapy management (MTM) programs, with patient satisfaction representing a valuable measure to provide information about pharmacist-delivered services and the overall effectiveness of the program. The objective of this study was to assess patient satisfaction after engaging in a telephonic comprehensive medication review (CMR) with a pharmacist in a Medicaid population. ⋯ Overall, Medicaid patients in this study were very satisfied with the telephonic MTM services provided and found the information relayed during the conversation with the pharmacist to be helpful. Further studies are recommended to confirm these findings.
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Strategies to maintain hospital capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic included reducing hospital length of stay (LOS) for infected patients. We sought to evaluate the association between LOS and enrollment in the COVID Accelerated Care Pathway, which consisted of a hospital observation protocol and postdischarge automated text message-based monitoring. ⋯ Patients with COVID-19 who were managed through an accelerated hospital observation protocol and postdischarge monitoring service had reduced hospital LOS compared with patients receiving standard care. Hospital preparedness for future public health emergencies may involve the design of pathways that reduce the time that patients spend in the hospital, lower cost, and ensure continued recovery upon discharge.