Plans Chart Course in Rough Waters
Health plans have suffered lately at the hands of investors (plummeting stock prices) and employers (fewer enrollees). Some companies are fighting back by finding underserved markets.
A Conversation With Barbara Starfield, MD
A Q&A with a physician- turned- academic- researcher who challenges the health system’s focus on specialists. “If you don’t have something that requires a specialist, it’s dangerous to see one.”
Smoke Signals from Payers
Employers have made clear that they really want smoking cessation programs, which suits those insurers that are repositioning themselves as prevention-oriented health services companies.
Slow Going for Clinical Decision Support
Like a GPS gizmo for a driver, CDS systems for doctors supply patient care roadmaps and alerts. Sadly, they can also be a real pain to work with.
Back Pain and Physical Therapy
A health plan works with a physical therapy facility to greatly improve pain and function scores.
Postherpetic neuralgia is a disabling condition that impairs quality of life. Varying definitions of PHN have made it
difficult to quantify its prevalence or qualify its severity. Clinically, PHN is a consequence of reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. The result of viral damage to the nervous system, PHN can be severe and intractable to therapy.
Targeted analgesia may be useful in reducing the chronic discomfort of PHN caused by central sensitization. Undertreatment of PHN is common and can carry costly
implications for third-party payers.
Highlights:
Overview of Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN)
Description of Neuropathic Pain
Clinical Manifestation of PHN
Risk Factors
Clinical, Economic, and Quality-of-Life Burdens
Implications for Payers
Scientific Understanding of PHN and Its Treatment
Etiology of PHN
Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels
Consequences of Neuronal Damage
Targeted Peripheral Analgesics
Clinical Trials of Lidocaine Patch 5%
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