Clinical Trial Diversity on the Decline
According to a recent IQVIA report, clinical trial diversity is on the downswing despite recent efforts to the contrary. The research specifically identified significant under-representation for Black and Hispanic patients. Industry action is needed, according to IQVIA, as clinical trial under-representation is systemic and negatively impacts people from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Examining Representation Disparities in aRCC Clinical Trials
A recently published abstract in the Journal of Clinical Oncology examined patient populations in clinical trials for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC), finding that significant underrepresentation based on age, ethnicity, and racial backgrounds. The study examined data from multiple real-world evidence (RWE) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) covering over 4800 patients.
Looking at How Medicaid Expansion Affect Sexual and Reproductive Health
Extensive research has explored how Medicaid expansion has impacted health outcomes in 40 US states, generally finding that it improves health outcomes for patients and provides financial benefits for state governments. A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation reviews the recent literature exploring the impact of Medicaid expansion on reproductive and sexual health, beginning with coverage.
Education as a Social Determinant of Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes
A newly published study in BMC Public Health reports that education level may be a critical independent social determinant of health (SDoH) influencing cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. The study, which drew upon data from over 210,000 participants, found that people without a high school degree had a 47.9% higher mortality rate in atherosclerotic CVD than those with college degrees.
From Analysis to Action: Exploring Health Equity with Aletha Maybank
In a new interview with Nature, senior vice president and chief health equity officer at the American Medical Association (AMA) Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, speaks about her work analyzing the processes underlying health disparities and how they can be targeted to promote better outcomes in marginalized populations.
Renting Associated with Worse Health Outcomes in Older People
According to newly published research, older people who rent have worse health outcomes than those who own a home. The study finds that older renters also are less likely to have medical cards, exacerbating their health costs. This issue is only growing more pressing as rising rent prices further sap the finances of older people who often live on fixed incomes.
Working with Pharma to Advance NHS Health Equity Efforts
A key priority in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Operational Planning Guidance 2023/2024 is improving health outcomes for the poorest 20% of patients in the nation. Partnerships between NHS systems and the pharmaceutical industry represent one way to help address health disparities. Doing so, however, requires understanding the problem at hand and acting precisely.
Targeting Health Equity at the Neighborhood-Level
A person’s living environment is an important social determinant of health (SODH), affecting access to care and employment, exposure to environmental hazards, and financial pressures. As a result, health equity efforts need to zoom down to the neighborhood level to improve health outcomes. In a new Health Affairs article, learn more about addressing health equity efforts by analyzing SODH from a neighborhood-focused perspective.
Addressing Barriers to Care in Rural America
Rural US residents face significant barriers to care that significantly worsen health outcomes. Addressing these barriers is a complex task due to the underlying reasons behind them. In a new Becker’s Hospital Review article, Karen Joynt-Maddox, MD, MPH, associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine talks about the importance of hospitals in rural areas and how providers can work to improve rural health outcomes.
ISPOR Investigates HEOR Research in LMICs with New Report
In a newly released report, ISPOR breaks down the state of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report, entitled “Advancing HEOR in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” covers the need to better implement HEOR research in LMICs and ways to do so that will advance healthcare decision-making and patient outcomes.
Data Book Podcast: Collecting Better Data on LGBTQ+ Patients to Improve Health Outcomes
LGBTQ+ patients experience significant discrimination in healthcare settings and face disproportionate barriers to care, worsening health outcomes. In the latest episode of the Data Book podcast by Chief Healthcare Executive, C.K. Wang of COTA talks about issues facing LGBTQ+ patients in healthcare and how fostering patient trust can help advance health equity efforts and data collection for this population.
Transgender Adults Stripped of Transition Care in Florida
Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill into law that, at least for now, strips transgender adults of their right to access gender transition care, including all hormones, gender transition appointments, and surgical operations. The law only allows adults to maintain their transition care if they fill out an informed consent form that the state has yet to publish or give any intimation of when it will be released. The law also allows any care provider to turn away LGBTQ patients for any reason without recourse.
HHS Awards $65 Million in Funding to Fight Maternal Mortality
Despite spending the most on healthcare per capita in the world, the US has much higher maternal mortality rates than other wealthy nations, especially among Black and Indigenous patients. To address this long-standing problem, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced it has awarded over $65 million to 35 care centers.
Older US Adults Skipping Meds Because of Price
A recently published study in JAMA Network OPEN found that at least 20% of adults 65 and up skipped their medication, cut back their dose, or took drugs intended for other patients due to financial reasons in 2022. The figure is a jump from 2016, when one in seven older patients reported skipping medications for the same reason. Many of those who did maintain their drug regimen faced significant financial hardships.
Max Foundation and BeiGene to provide Free Brukinsa to 29 LMICs
The Max Foundation, a Seattle-based organization dedicated to health equity, is collaborating with the biotech BioGene to provide Brukinsa to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 29 lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The program will last for 3 years and will also provide education on disease management and diagnosis at participating treatment sites.
Promoting Health Equity and Community Health with Medicaid Reinvestment Requirements
Several states have adopted policies that make Medicaid managed care plans put money back into local communities to promote health equity and community health by targeting social determinants of health (SDoH) associated with poor health outcomes. In a new Health Affairs Forefront article, learn about the challenges blocking the full realization of these policies’ potential and best practices in developing them.
Addressing Asthma Care Gaps with Patient Assistance Programs
The majority of Americans living with asthma sit firmly in the poverty range, making it difficult or impossible to get lifesaving care. Fortunately, nonprofit patient assistance programs (PAP) are stepping up, connecting uninsured or underinsured low-income patients access asthma care. However, the programs don’t just offer care, according to Accessia Health CEO Gwen Cooper.
Immunotherapy Utilization Lower at Small and Rural Clinics
A recently published article in JAMA Oncology finds that cancer clinics that are smaller or in rural areas are less likely to use immunotherapy for their patients compared to larger clinics and those in urban and suburban areas. The study, based on Medicare claims data taken from 1700 cancer clinics, also showed that the majority of practices implemented new immunotherapies within 2 years of their approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
HIMMS Insights: Health Tech Solutions Must Account for Health Equity
Several talks and presentations at this year’s Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) meeting emphasized the need to factor health equity into health technology solutions. Speakers covered topics ranging from the need to target nutrition as preventative care to the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Program Targeting Food Insecurity Cut Healthcare Costs for People with Type 2 Diabetes
Food insecurity leads to a poor diet that can exacerbate symptoms of type 2 diabetes, significantly increasing healthcare costs for patients and payers. A recent program by Pack Health targeted food insecurity by delivering meals and providing education to food-insecure people with diabetes type 2. Results showed that the program cut healthcare costs by $139 per month and improved health outcomes.
WHO Makes Largest Database of Health Equity Data Available to the Public
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the release of the Health Inequality Data Repository (HIDR) to the public. The database compiles health inequality-related real-world data (RWD) measuring over 2,000 metrics, totaling to almost 11 million individual data points. Analysis reveals improvements in health equity in the past decade.
Patient Recruitment Dodges Older Adults to Their Detriment
Despite representing the largest market for new and existing medications, a recent study by the UK-based International Longevity Centre (ILC) finds that adults over 60 are starkly underrepresented or outright excluded from clinical trials. Costs are commonly credited for this disparity, which imperils health outcomes for older adults.
CMS Health Equity Metric May Exacerbate Disparities in Some Areas
The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) is a metric that assesses the socioeconomic conditions of an area to determine if it is deemed disadvantaged. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) uses the ADI in new payment models that reward providers for serving disadvantaged areas to promote health equity efforts. However, many areas have wealthy people living in close proximity to poorer communities, skewing results and precluding many disadvantaged communities from these initiatives.
Embracing Patient-Centered Clinical Trials to Facilitate More Representative Recruitment
Despite recent efforts, patient recruitment for clinical trials is expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. Moreover, the vast majority of clinical trials are far from representative of real patient populations, often severely lacking in people from marginalized ethnic and racial backgrounds. In a new sponsored Biopharma Dive article, learn how a patient-centered approach may facilitate cheaper and more representative recruitment.
Real-World Data Shows Black People Face Higher Rates of Insomnia and Receive Poor Care
A growing body of research indicates that Black people in the US have significantly higher levels of sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea than their white counterparts. Despite this, Black patients typically receive substandard care for sleep problems. A real-world data (RWD) study earlier this year found that only 6.2% of Black patients diagnosed with insomnia received medication for it, less than half the rate of white patients.
