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Showcasing Our Expertise
Here’s a glimpse into some of our work
Here’s a glimpse into some of our work
Can health care services have low value? Turns out, they do! A service or a treatment that provides no or little benefit to the patient—or worse, might harm the patient—is a low-value service. While we might quickly jump to conclusions on who should be blamed for providing the low-value service, multiple factors influence low-value care delivery:
In 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) required a majority of private health plans to cover preventive healthcare services without any out-of-pocket costs to enrollees: meaning no co-pay or deductible. However, a new ruling by a Texas judge has the potential to jeopardize preventive care services for millions of people.
March-in rights have been invoked again, this time with the support of Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Angus King (I-Maine), and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). March-in rights, a provision of the Bayh-Dole regulations, allow federal funding agencies access to the research that they sponsor at universities or businesses to meet agency missions. The three senators are urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move forward with the march-in petition submitted for the anticancer drug enzalutamide (Xtandi) and to hold a public hearing.
Update on June 2nd, 2023: Following an outcry from physician groups and patient advocacy groups, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has slightly modified their policy. Gastroenterologists will now be required to submit an advance notification to UHC before conducting diagnostic or surveillance colonoscopy procedures. Under the revised policy, care will not be denied, so patients will not face out-of-pocket costs. However, physician groups remain skeptical.
Cigna’s pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Express Scripts, has introduced network changes that have reduced the number of retail pharmacies within the Department of Defense (DoD)’s TRICARE benefits program by 15,000. Many of these are independent community pharmacies in underserved rural and urban locations. This reduces the number of covered pharmacies in Tricare’s network by 27% and is estimated to impact over 400,000 military personnel and their families.
Screening is an extremely important preventive method to catch cancer early before it advances to an incurable stage....
Healthcare is expensive and cancer care particularly so. Financial stress and hard...
Young colorectal cancer patients face a unique set of challenges. We have...
Screening is an extremely important preventive method to catch cancer early before it advances to an incurable stage. Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is usef...
Screening is an extremely important preventive method to catch cancer early before it advances to an incurable stage....
You don’t want to wait until a medical emergency to find out if your insurer...
Cancer incidence has been growing among younger adults—not just in the U.S., but globally. According to a recent analysis, the three decades between 1990 and 2019 saw almost an 80% increase in incidence of early-onset cancer. Following breast cancer, cancers of the digestive tract (stomach and colorectal) have seen a rise among young adults—in 2019, 37% of early-onset cancers diagnosed across the world were in the colon and rectum.
Diversity presents facts. Diversity provides a true reflection of reality, and this holds true for clinical trials as well. The FDA’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity is a big proponent of diversity among clinical trial participants to advance health equity. Several bills are currently being deliberated on by lawmakers on increasing diversity in clinical trials, but drug manufacturers seem reluctant.
Patients, especially those suffering from chronic disease, may not always be able to keep a scheduled medical appointment. While poor health may be one of the biggest reasons for this, inability to get to the appointment and back home could be another. This in turn may be influenced by the patient’s geographic location, distance from the clinic/hospital, whether they own a vehicle, whether a family member or friend can drive them, insurance coverage of transportation service etc. Think about why you last missed a medical appointment – we’ll ask again at the end.
The Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) conducted research to shine a spotlight on disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and has proposed short-term and long-term recommendations to address these disparities.
According to a 2020 report, an estimated 22-26 million adults provide unpaid care to a family member or friend, helping with daily activities, personal and medical care, as well as daily chores. Interestingly, an expansion of medical care at home and the complexity of the healthcare system itself means family caregivers pick up the role of care coordinators, overseeing their loved one’s medical care. Sixty percent of these caregivers were employed and provided over 20 hours of care on a weekly basis.
Medical transportation tips for patients and caregivers as well as types of medical transportation including emergency and non emergency medical transportation.
Novel Treatments for Uterine Fibroids
This educational activity is designed to help healthcare providers who treat patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease and to more easily recognize the symptoms of EoE. This program will also examine currently approved and emerging treatments for EoE, as well as the importance of team-based care to improve patient outcomes.
This program is designed to educate providers that treat patients with CRSwNP to identify symptoms and provide accurate diagnosis; select appropriate treatment regimens based on guideline recommendations; be aware of the latest evidence on novel treatment options; and have a patient-centric lens that can help reduce symptoms and recurrence and improve the quality of life for patients with chronic CRSwNP.
We sat down with Surabhi Dangi-Garimella from Colon Cancer Foundation to find out just what we know these days about colon cancer from how effective diagnosis and prevention can be. Also, their foundation covers practical things like whether or not your insurance will cover your screening tests, signs to watch for in your poop 💩 and why you can't be shy about what's in your diet.
EAO-CRC Virtual Summit Summary Report_2020
EAO-CRC Virtual Summit Summary Report_2020
Colorectal Cancer Prevention Internship
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