Employers seek to soften health cost blow

FDA approvals this week include: novel treatment for invasive candidiasis, an accelerated approval to Zynyz for Merkel cell carcinoma, the high-concentration Humira biosimilar Hyrimoz, and extension of Evkeeza’s indication to include young children. The agency also issued two complete responses this week: for Incyte’s extended-release Jakafi and for AbbVie’s Parkinson’s therapy.

The senior vice president of health services and chief medical officer at Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia discusses the spotlight that the COVID-19 pandemic put on behavioral health and Independence's integration of behavioral health into its coverage and care management in this month's episode of “What's on Your Mind?" podcast.

American Indian and Alaska Native had increased access to diabetes treatment services, which lowered hyperglycemia and blood lipid levels, as well as diabetic retinopathy incidence.

Briana Contreras, an editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, chats with Bronwyn Spira, CEO and founder of Force Therapeutics, in this week's episode about CMS' new CPT codes that were introduced in 2022.

Coverage decisions about prescription digital therapeutics may take payers out of their comfort zones and require new processes and subject matter experts, according to members of a panel at the AMCP annual meeting. But P&T committees are likely to still be central to the process.

They are the trendy way to lose weight and payers have been noticing an increase in GLP-1 claims. An analysis of the pharmacy and healthcare claims of a small commercial health plan in Texas documents the growth in the off-label usage of the GLP-1s, such as Ozempic, for weight loss.