Latest news with #AmericanJournalofManagedCare
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Transition to telemedicine has come with considerable reductions in carbon emissions: Study
The use of telemedicine reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas-fueled cars per month in 2023, a new study has determined. These findings suggest telemedicine could have a modest but tangible contribution to curbing the effects of climate change, according to the study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Managed Care. 'As Congress debates whether to extend or modify pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, our results provide important evidence for policymakers to consider,' said John Mafi, an associate professor in residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement. Specifically, those considerations could focus on the idea 'that telemedicine has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of US health care delivery,' Mafi added. Today, the U.S. health system is responsible for about 9 percent of domestic greenhouse gas emission — worsening the impacts of climate change and thereby posing a possible threat to human health, according to the authors. Meanwhile, because the transportation sector accounts for more than 28 percent of the country's total emissions, the authors argued telemedicine would have the potential to decrease the environmental footprint of healthcare services. To draw their conclusions, the researchers used the existing Milliman MedInsight Emerging Experience database to quantify almost 1.5 million telemedicine visits, including 66,000 in rural regions, from April 1 to June 30, 2023. Ultimately, they estimated that between 741,000 and 1.35 million of those visits occurred instead of in-person appointments. As a result of that shift to telemedicine, the researchers estimated carbon emissions reductions of between 21.4 million and 47.6 million kilograms per month. That quantity is approximately equivalent to cutting the carbon dioxide generated by 61,000 to 130,000 gas-powered vehicles each month or by recycling 1.8 million to 4 million trash bags, according to the study. The researchers acknowledged that there were some limitations to their findings, including the fact that the results were based on a single, easy-to-access resource rather than a random selection. They also noted that telemedicine use has dropped since the end of the pandemic — potentially leading to overestimations regarding the emissions averted. Nonetheless, they maintained that telemedicine does provide a significant chance to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to therefore bring benefits to human health. 'The health care sector contributes significantly to the global carbon footprint,' co-senior author A. Mark Fendrick, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan, said in a statement. 'The environmental impact of medical care delivery can be reduced when lower-carbon options, such as telemedicine, are substituted for other services that produce more emissions,' Fendrick added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Transition to telemedicine has come with considerable reductions in carbon emissions: Study
The use of telemedicine reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas-fueled cars per month in 2023, a new study has determined. These findings suggest that telemedicine could have a modest but tangible contribution to curbing the effects of climate change, according to the study, published in the American Journal of Managed Care on Tuesday. 'As Congress debates whether to extend or modify pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, our results provide important evidence for policymakers to consider,' John Mafi, an associate professor-in-residence at the University of California Los Angeles's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a statement. Specifically, those considerations could focus on the idea 'that telemedicine has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of US health care delivery,' Mafi added. Today, the U.S. health system is responsible for about 9 percent of domestic greenhouse gas emission — worsening the impacts of climate change and thereby posing a possible threat to human health, according to the authors. Meanwhile, because the transportation sector accounts for more than 28 percent of the country's total emissions, the authors argued telemedicine would have the potential to decrease the environmental footprint of healthcare services. To draw their conclusions, the researchers used the existing Milliman MedInsight Emerging Experience database to quantify almost 1.5 million telemedicine visits, including 66,000 in rural regions, from April 1 to June 30, 2023. Ultimately, they estimated that between 741,000 and 1.35 million of those visits occurred instead of in-person appointments. As a result of that shift to telemedicine, the researchers estimated carbon emissions reductions of between 21.4 million and 47.6 million kilograms per month. That quantity is approximately equivalent to cutting the carbon dioxide generated by 61,000 to 130,000 gas-powered vehicles each month or by recycling 1.8 million to 4 million trash bags, according to the study. The researchers acknowledged that there were some limitations to their findings, including the fact that the results were based on a single, easy-to-access resource rather than a random selection. They also noted that telemedicine use has dropped since the end of the pandemic — potentially leading to overestimations regarding the emissions averted. Nonetheless, they maintained that telemedicine does provide a significant chance to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to therefore bring benefits to human health. 'The health care sector contributes significantly to the global carbon footprint,' co-senior author A. Mark Fendrick, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan, said in a statement. 'The environmental impact of medical care delivery can be reduced when lower-carbon options, such as telemedicine, are substituted for other services that produce more emissions,' Fendrick added.
Time Magazine
22-04-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
How Telehealth Can Reduce Carbon Emissions
Many have grown to embrace the convenience of telehealth brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But now researchers have found that taking your doctor's appointments from the couch could have another upside: it's good for the environment. A new study, published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Managed Care on April 22, has found the use of telemedicine could have an impact in reducing carbon emissions. The findings showed that telehealth decreased the number of cars on the road in the U.S., reducing monthly carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas-powered cars. Researchers quantified nearly 1.5 million telemedicine visits in urban and rural areas between April 1 and June 30, 2023 and estimated that anywhere between 741,000 to 1.35 million of those visits were substitutes for in-person visits. Using those calculations, they determined that telemedicine use cut CO2 emissions by a range of roughly 23,500 and 52,500 tons each month during the time studied—equivalent to the emissions produced by 61,000 to 130,000 gas powered vehicles. 'The health care sector contributes significantly to the global carbon footprint,' Dr. A. Mark Fendrick, the study's co-senior author and professor of medicine and director of Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan, said in a press release. The U.S. health system currently contributes almost 9% of the country's emissions, while transportation accounts for about 29%. 'Our findings suggest that the environmental impact of medical care delivery can be reduced when lower-carbon options, such as telemedicine, are substituted for other services that produce more emissions.' The health care system has not shied away from the need to lower its carbon footprint. Around the world, some clinics are reconsidering what items can be reused or recycled, as well as beginning to phase out an anesthetic known as desflurane, one bottle of which is equivalent to driving a gas car 2,200 miles.. Some limitations remain, however. The researchers of the new study say that, though the participants had sociodemographic characteristics that were similar to those of U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the findings may not represent the broader population or account for regional variations, such as seasonal trends or internet access. Telemedicine use has also fallen since the end of the COVID pandemic, which could have led them to overestimate the true amount of averted emissions in the future. All the same, the findings could help sway policies, researchers say, as Congress continues to debate the extension of pandemic-era flexibilities and Medicare waivers for the use of telehealth.
Associated Press
30-01-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
New Study Published in JAMA Network Open Finds Procedural Prescription Denials Can Increase Acute Care Utilization and Spending in Medicaid
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / January 30, 2025 / A new study published in JAMA Network Open has found that while procedural prescription denials curb immediate drug costs, some denials result in increased acute care utilization and costs, which outweigh any short-term savings. A procedural prescription denial occurs when a prescription is rejected due to administrative or procedural issues rather than medical necessity. Common reasons for procedural prescription denials include a patient requesting a refill too early, exceeding medication quantity allowed per prescription, being prescribed a medication not covered in the plan formulary, or being prescribed a medication that requires a prior authorization, among others. In this large study of 19,725 Medicaid enrollees, researchers found that patients experiencing procedural prescription denials had a higher risk of physiologically related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations compared with those without a denial in the subsequent 60 days. Denials in six medication classes were associated with net total medical spending increases ranging from $624 to $3,016 in additional expense per patient per year. 'This study implies that helping patients promptly resolve procedural denials can reduce both acute care utilizations and unnecessary healthcare costs,' said Bhairavi Muralidharan, the lead author for the study and a data scientist at Waymark. 'Ultimately, early interventions reinforce the goal of every Medicaid program - to provide accessible, cost-effective care to vulnerable populations.' Rising prescription costs in Medicaid have led many pharmacy benefit managers and health plans to implement procedural denials as a cost-containment measure. When patients are unable to obtain medications due to a prescription denial, they may be hospitalized or visit the ED due to an exacerbation of their chronic conditions. For example, a patient suffering from seizures may end up in the ED if their anti-seizure medication is denied. A previous study from Waymark published in the American Journal of Managed Care found that nearly 40% of ED visits and hospitalizations in Medicaid could be avoided through timely access to primary care, including medication support. 'There is a huge opportunity to reduce unnecessary acute care utilization and costs in Medicaid,' said Jeffrey Tingen, co-author of the study and a Clinical Pharmacist Lead at Waymark. 'This research shows that proper medication management, which includes addressing procedural prescription denials, can reduce avoidable ED visits and hospitalizations in the Medicaid population.' Researchers analyzed Medicaid data in two different states (n=19,725, Virginia and Washington). The study included patients with at least one pharmacy claim during the study period (January 1 to July 31, 2023) and focused on the 20 most commonly prescribed medication classes out of a total of 390. For each medication class, patients were assigned to either the exposure group (defined as having ≥ 1 procedural denial for a given medication class during the study period) or a control group (defined as having 0 denials for that class). The two groups were matched based on demographic features, clinical history and other aspects of medical care. Researchers evaluated acute care events (an ED visit or hospitalization) and associated costs within a 60-day period following the prescription denial, verifying whether the denial was medically related to the reason for the acute care event. 'While earlier studies have shown that procedural prescription denials are more common in Medicaid than other forms of insurance, empirical research on the effect of these denials on healthcare utilization and long-term costs is scarce,' said Sadiq Y. Patel, VP of Data Science and AI at Waymark. 'These findings can help Medicaid health plans inform their policy decisions, including formulary, coverage, prior authorization requirements, claim denials and approvals, and payments based on drug classes.' Waymark's multidisciplinary care team includes clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who help patients access and manage their medications, including proactively contacting them to help resolve procedural denials. For example, Waymark's pharmacy team routinely fills out prior authorization forms and works with providers to mitigate the risk of a procedural denial. In collaboration with Waymark's community health workers, these teams complete 'weekend tuck-ins' on Thursdays and Fridays to ensure patients have necessary medications, reducing the likelihood of an acute exacerbation over the weekend. A 2024 study published in NEJM Catalyst found that Waymark reduced all-cause hospital and ED visits by 22.5% for rising-risk patients in its first year of service. The full article titled 'Procedural Prescription Denials and Risk of Acute Care Utilization and Spending Among Medicaid Patients' was published in JAMA Network Open. The authors of this article are Bhairavi Muralidharan, MSE of Waymark; Sanjay Basu, PhD, MD of Waymark; Jeffrey Tingen, MBA, PharmD of Waymark; and Sadiq Y. Patel, PhD, MS, MSW of Waymark.
