A pilot telemedicine program dramatically reduced the amount of time it took for primary care physicians to consult with dermatologists on skin ailments but did not increase utilization or cost, according to a new study from Independence Blue Cross and the University of Pennsylvania, AIS Health reported.

"Dermatology is an ideal specialty for telemedicine due to the visual nature of the clinical assessment," says study co-author Aaron Smith-McLallen, director of health informatics and advanced analytics at Independence Blue Cross. "Using telemedicine, patients can get quality care very quickly and reduce wait times for patients with more acute needs that are not suitable for telemedicine intervention."

Centene Corp., which has come to dominate the Affordable Care Act exchange market by continuing to expand even when other carriers pulled back, is facing more competition now that the market has stabilized and insurer participation has increased, AIS Health reported.

Given that dynamic, Citi analyst Ralph Giacobbe advised investors recently that he was placing a "negative catalyst watch" on Centene due to the new competitive pressures it's facing. Centene, he observed, "was displaced as the lowest priced plan in a number of markets," and so the insurer "will have to rely on retention and new market entry to offset competitive pressures, which could prove challenging and may stunt growth relative to expectations."

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for multiple myeloma treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

As is the case for other flavors of health care reform, President-elect Joe Biden's chance of passing substantial, transformative drug-pricing legislation is now highly dependent upon whether Democrats can eke out a majority in the Senate. While that question won't be resolved until Georgia completes runoff elections in January, industry observers point out that there are still ways that a Biden administration can address drug pricing, AIS Health reported.

"A president can do a lot even with a divided Congress," says Stephanie Kennan, a member of McGuireWoods Consulting's federal public affairs group. "Part of how well something gets done…depends upon the skills of the president or those negotiating for him. With Biden perhaps having a better understanding of the Senate, having come from the Senate, [that] might help him."

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for cystic fibrosis treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

Though the new makeup of Congress may not be cemented until runoff elections take place in Georgia, perhaps the most consequential outcome of the 2020 general elections for the health insurance industry is that no one political party is likely to control the White House and both chambers of Congress, AIS Health reported.

"[I]t is evident there is no 'blue wave' as Republicans appear to have held the Senate," Citi analyst Ralph Giacobbe advised investors on Nov. 5. "The news drove significant outperformance within the managed care space," he observed. On Nov. 7, the presidential election was called in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden.

While Humana Inc. has seen its profits swell as members avoided non-coronavirus-related care during the pandemic, the company is making it crystal clear that those financial gains will be erased before the year is over, AIS Health reported.

"We continue to expect our results for the second half of 2020, including an anticipated loss in the fourth quarter, to entirely offset the significant outperformance experienced in the first half of the year that resulted from historically low medical utilization levels," Chief Financial Officer Brian Kane said during Humana's third-quarter earnings call, according to a transcript from The Motley Fool.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.