Tag Archives: diabetes

Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? Big Pharma Isn’t the Only Player Driving Prices

By | March 10, 2023

Eli Lilly & Co.’s announcement that it is slashing prices for its major insulin products could make life easier for some diabetes patients while easing pressure on Big Pharma. It also casts light on the profiteering methods of the drug industry’s price mediators — the pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs — at a time when… Read More »

Retrospective: On Prescription Drugs

By | August 22, 2022

The Medical Care Blog is preparing for its full return later this month. Until then, we are continuing to highlight articles published by our contributors on timely topics. A federal bill is pending that would allow Medicare to begin negotiating drug prices for the very first time. Even though it would begin with only 10… Read More »

Diabetes Cure or Diabetes Management?

By | May 26, 2022

Reuter’s announced in January that diabetes deaths in the United States continue to surge well above pre-pandemic levels with over 100,000 Americans dying from diabetes in 2021. Given COVID-19’s relationship to diabetes, we may see this trend continue. Increasing deaths from diabetes is a clear call to action for new solutions. Historically, diabetes has been… Read More »

Part D Senior Savings: Medicare’s New Approach to Paying for Insulin

For older adults in the United States, obtaining and paying for prescriptions can be a challenge. Although most Americans over age 65 are eligible for prescription drug coverage under the Medicare Part D, understanding and navigating the benefit can be difficult. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently launched a new payment model… Read More »

Natural Experiments for Diabetes

Over the past two decades, research has helped identify ways to reduce complications among people with diabetes and laid the foundation for primary prevention. However, prevention and treatments are still unequally applied, and social, economic, and age-related disparities persist. The June 2020 supplement issue of Medical Care argues for and presents the results of natural… Read More »

Priority Topics for Obesity and Diabetes Research

By | December 10, 2018

Patients are increasingly involved in shaping research in health care, especially since the advent of the federal Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). PCORI actively promotes the engagement of patients and other stakeholders (clinicians, caregivers, purchasers, etc.) in the research process. As we discussed in an earlier entry on this blog, research terminology alone can be a… Read More »

Sometimes the best medicine isn’t a medicine at all

By | March 15, 2018

Ironically, many healthcare providers–doctors, nurses, physician and medical assistants–are not trained in “health” at all but in “medicine” instead. Often, as providers, our instinct is to first reach for a pill bottle or a procedure and forget about lifestyle changes that could be safer and more financially feasible for our patients. As the burden of… Read More »

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Community Health Workers

According to the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, hospital inpatient expenses account for a large portion (nearly 30%) of total health care expenses and health care spending is highly concentrated among a relatively small proportion of individuals. The top 1% of spenders accounted for 21.5% of total expenditures while the lower 50% accounted for just… Read More »

What might be hindering patient portal usage?

By | June 9, 2016

Personally, I find patient portals to be convenient. It’s an easy way to send healthcare-related questions to my provider such as, “does this medication have any side effects?” or, “can you please refill my prescription?”  I perceive the primary benefit as not having to schedule an appointment or wait on hold for 15 minutes to… Read More »

Evaluating the ability of patient-centered medical homes to improve clinical outcomes

By | August 24, 2016

Support for patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) has been growing in recent years.  A typical PCMH model includes a primary care physician supported by a multidisciplinary team, coordinated care, measurements of quality and safety, and enhanced access to same-day appointments. Preliminary program evaluations have shown that PCMHs can improve access and quality, but to date, there… Read More »