Page 105 - Mployee Wellness Programs News Today

About 27% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are Black, Latino or Asian, versus 17% of traditional Medicare enrollees, according to a report conducted by ATI Advisory and commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance.

Peter Long of Blue Shield of California discusses how they focus on member experience and ways to improve their overall healthcare needs.

Physicians often diagnose patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) too late in the process, when dialysis is the only option left. This isn’t negligence on the part of physicians — it’s simply a consequence of a fee-for-service (FFS) healthcare model that works against patients’ financial well-being and deemphasizes preventative care.

HCA and Tenet reported net incomes for the second quarter, while CHS posted a net loss. All three health systems found themselves in a better financial position in Q2 2023 than they were in Q2 of last year, driven in large part by declining contract labor expenses.

Vistagen Therapeutics’ fast-acting nasal spray drug, fasedienol, hit primary and secondary goals of an abbreviated late-stage study in social anxiety disorder. Vistagen’s stock price rocketed skyward on the results, which support progression to another Phase 3 study.

About half of adults, or 45%, said they are at least somewhat interested in taking a “safe, effective weight-loss drug,” according to a new survey by KFF. However, just 16% of adults are still interested in taking weight-loss drugs if they’re not covered by insurance.

Through Scripta Insights’ app, members of its customers can input the medications they’re taking, and the company will provide a savings report that will show different options on how they can save on their prescriptions. Starting in 2024, Cost Plus Drugs may show up as an option in the savings report.

Novo Nordisk weight-loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 20% in a large clinical trial. The company said the results support expanding the drug’s label, but the looming question is whether the data will persuade payers to cover the pricey chronic therapy.

Daybreak Health — a startup that partners with school districts to provide children with virtual mental health services — recently closed a $13 million Series B funding round. The company has partnered with more than 60 public school districts since it began providing care in 2019.

Hospitals’ pharmacy spending is projected to rise by 3.42% next year, according to a new report. Specialty drugs, including Ozempic and Humira, as well as neurology medications are the primary drivers of this increase in pharmacy expenses.