GTMRx News Brief Archive

Practice Transformation Pandemic drives exodus from private practice The pandemic accelerated the move from private practice to corporate medicine, Fierce Healthcare reports. Between Jan. 1, 2019, and Jan. 1, 2021, hospitals, payers and other entities acquired 20,900 practices, according to the Physicians Advocacy Institute. During that period, 48,400 physicians left independent practice to work for a larger employer. Most of this activity occurred between July 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021. As of Jan. 1, 2021, nearly half of all U.S. practices…

Practice Transformation Personalized vax outreach seems to work A new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report finds many individuals who were initially hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine in January, but ultimately did get one, say that family, friends and their personal doctors helped change their minds. KFF found that 54% of those who said in January they wanted to “wait and see” have received at least one dose. However, 76% of people who had previously said they would “only get…

Practice Transformation Biden vax effort focuses on trusted messengers President Biden last week announced a summer-long initiative to reach the vaccine-resistant. Outreach will become increasingly granular, and it will include going door-to-door and visiting places of worship. Primary care will play a large role: “My team is going to place renewed emphasis on getting the vaccines to more and more family doctors and health care providers so more Americans can get this shot at their doctor’s office from the folks…

Practice Transformation AMA: Under 4% of docs remain unvaccinated More than 96% of U.S. physicians have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a new AMA survey. Of the physicians who are not yet vaccinated, 45% intend to get one. The most common reason cited for not receiving the vaccine: It’s too new and has unknown long-term effects. The survey revealed no significant differences in physician vaccination rates across various demographic groups, including primary care vs specialist, region, gender, age…

Practice Transformation New org to advance primary care Primary care is the key to transforming health care in America, write ACP President George M. Abraham, MD, MPH, and AAFP President Ada D. Stewart, MD. With that, they announced the launch of Primary Care for America, a collaboration focused on demonstrating the value of primary care. “Unfortunately, the US health care system has long over-emphasized and over-invested in the sub-specialization of physicians and the specialization of care.” The result: a health care…

Practice Transformation Maybe it’s not comorbidities Patients with cardiovascular disease who had worse composite scores for six social determinants of health—including education, 30-day food security and health insurance—were less likely to adhere to all the measures recommended to lower their risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, according to research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. “Identifying and prioritizing individuals whose medical vulnerability is compounded by social adversity may optimize emerging preventive efforts, including vaccination guidelines,” the researchers conclude. (Circulation: Cardiovascular…

Practice Transformation Integrating drug, medical benefits saves money, improves outcomes Highmark group customers with integrated medical and pharmacy benefits saved an average of $150-$230 per member per year compared to those with carved-out pharmacy benefits, according to independent analysis by HealthScape Advisors. The savings were driven by shorter episodes of care, enhanced chronic care management and increased member engagement. The analysis is based on three years of claims data, from 2017 to 2019. Group clients who offered integrated benefits saw…

Practice Transformation The elephant in the room: appropriate use of medications The most pressing issues related to managing medications isn’t cost; it’s the lack of communication between prescribers and pharmacists, according to a recent Get the Medications Right (GTMRx) Institute survey of health leaders. That by itself is significant, but it points to a larger issue, says GTMRx Executive Director, Katherine Capps: appropriate use of medications. Outside of the opioid crisis, “the tragedy of medication misadventures” is rarely discussed, much…

Practice Transformation Key concern: Lack of provider/pharmacist communication In terms of managing medications, what’s the biggest issue? Surprisingly, it’s not cost. In a GTMRx survey of health care leaders, 50.3% of respondents chose lack of communication between prescribers and pharmacists. Medication costs came in second (36%). The survey found almost unanimous (96%) agreement about the need for a more comprehensive and integrated way to manage medications. However, 44% said that comprehensive medication management is not well understood or not understood…

Practice Transformation Include pharmacy in whole-person VBC Conversations about patient-centered and value-based care typically leave out the pharmacy aspect, writes Karthik Ganesh, CEO at EmpiRx Health, a value-based PBM. “If we ever hope to improve patient outcomes and lower unsustainable costs, pharmacy must feel empowered to join the groundswell toward whole-person VBC.” Pharmacy must be represented at the “value-based table” and become a key contributor to interdisciplinary care teams. “When every facet of health care is incentivized to do better instead of more, we will…

Practice Transformation NAM: Move away from FFS, support team-based primary care A new report from the National Academy of Medicine calls for interprofessional teams that coordinate care across the continuum, meaningfully engaging the full range of primary care professions. It describes opportunities for integration between primary care and various areas, including pharmacy. The report also calls on payers to move away from fee-for-service in favor of models that better support independent practices, enable team-based care, and address the social determinants. CMS,…

Practice Transformation Medication risk score correlates with mortality risk New research confirms that higher medication risk scores (MRS) are correlated with a higher risk of death. The study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, used EHR data from over 427,000 patients to calculate medication risk scores, using Tabula Rasa HealthCare’s MedWise technology. Researchers concluded that MRS was independently associated with death even after adjusting for other factors that increase the risk of death. “Our results suggest that pharmacist-directed interventions targeted…

Practice Transformation GTMRx CMM Evidence Review published The evidence review,  Assessing the Impact of Comprehensive Medication Management on Achievement of the Quadruple Aim, authored by GTMRx workgroup experts, explains the differences between CMM and traditional Medicare Part D MTM services and provides the evidence of the CMM process of care and highlights recent research on the value of CMM in achieving better quality of care, reduced health care expenditures, an improved patient experience and greater provider well-being. More than 20 studies were included in the…

Practice Transformation MGMA chief: Address provider burnout now Provider burnout has grown to “potentially catastrophic” levels, writes MGMA President and CEO Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright. Worklife happiness has dropped from 69% pre-pandemic to 49%, according to Medscape's National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2021; the repercussions will be felt for decades, she warns. “We recognized years ago that relying on burned out providers makes it impossible to achieve cost-effective, high-quality, satisfying care. To avoid blows to accessibility, patient trust and engagement, and…

Practice Transformation Amazon enters the care delivery business Amazon will take its telehealth services nationwide. It will immediately expand its Amazon Care telemedicine program to interested employers in Washington and, this summer, will expand to all Amazon workers and to private employers in the US. Currently available to Amazon employees in Washington, the Amazon Care app connects users virtually with doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses who can provide services and treatment telephonically 24/7. In the Seattle area, it also includes…

Practice Transformation Health Affairs: Team-based care is better Team-based care is superior to solo care, according to an aptly titled paper in Health Affairs, “Provider Teams Outperform Solo Providers in Managing Chronic Diseases and Could Improve the Value of Care.” Looking at patients with type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, researcher found that, regardless of team composition, provider teams outperformed solo providers. They also found that among solo providers, care management and outcome differ little between physicians and nonphysicians. “As policy…