The 340B Program and Health Disparities Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Chronic Asthma.

The study objective was to determine whether the discounts provided under the 340B program help address disparities in drug treatment and adverse outcomes among Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) beneficiaries initially Medicare-diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic asthma. Using Medicare FFS claims data from 2017 to 2019, we conducted a cross-sectional study that compared risk-adjusted differences in 5 treatment measures and 5 adverse outcomes among beneficiaries treated within 340B and non-340B hospital systems that met the disproportionate share (DSH) criteria and the ownership classification requirement to qualify as a 340B DSH hospital. Our analysis focused on potential disparities that are historically associated with challenges to accessing quality health care.

Association of the Oncology Care Model With Value-Based Changes in Use of Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Radiation utilization for breast cancer and metastatic bone disease varies in modality, fractionation, and cost, despite evidence demonstrating equal effectiveness and consensus recommendations such as Choosing Wisely that advocate for higher value care. We assessed whether the Oncology Care Model (OCM), an alternative payment model for practices providing chemotherapy to patients with cancer, affected the overall use and value of radiation therapy in terms of Choosing Wisely recommendations.

Methods And Materials: We used Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrative data to identify beneficiaries enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare who initiated chemotherapy episodes at OCM and propensity-matched comparison practices.

The Oncology Care Model and Adherence to Oral Cancer Drugs: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis.

Background: Adherence to oral cancer drugs is suboptimal. The Oncology Care Model (OCM) offers oncology practices financial incentives to improve the value of cancer care. We assessed the impact of OCM on adherence to oral cancer therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), prostate cancer, and breast cancer.

Association of Participation in the Oncology Care Model With Medicare Payments, Utilization, Care Delivery, and Quality Outcomes.

Importance: In 2016, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services initiated the Oncology Care Model (OCM), an alternative payment model designed to improve the value of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries with cancer.

Objective: To assess the association of the OCM with changes in Medicare spending, utilization, quality, and patient experience during the OCM's first 3 years.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Exploratory difference-in-differences study comparing care during 6-month chemotherapy episodes in OCM participating practices and propensity-matched comparison practices initiated before (January 2014 through June 2015) and after (July 2016 through December 2018) the start of the OCM.

Early Findings From the Oncology Care Model Evaluation.

Purpose: The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is an alternative payment model administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that is structured around 6-month chemotherapy treatment episodes. This report describes the CMS-sponsored OCM evaluation and summarizes early evaluation findings.

Methods: The OCM evaluation examines health care spending and use, quality of care, and patient experience during chemotherapy treatment episodes.

The healthfulness of food and beverage purchases after the federal food package revisions: The case of two New England states.

Objective: In 2009, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) implemented new food packages to improve dietary intake among WIC participants. This paper examines how the healthfulness of food purchases among low-income households changed following this reform.

Methods: Point-of-sale data for 2137 WIC-participating and 1303 comparison households were obtained from a regional supermarket chain.

Dietary Quality of Americans by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Status: A Systematic Review.

Context: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is an effective component in reducing food insecurity in the U.S. In the discussion of strategies to also help SNAP participants maximize diet quality, it is important to know their current dietary patterns and food choices.

Effects of reduced juice allowances in food packages for the women, infants, and children program.

Objectives: In 2009, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) implemented revisions to the composition and quantities of WIC food packages. Juice allowances were reduced by approximately half. This report describes changes in purchases of 100% juice and other beverages among WIC participants after the WIC revisions.

Grocery store beverage choices by participants in federal food assistance and nutrition programs.

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverages are a target for reduction in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Concerns have been raised about sugar-sweetened beverages purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Purpose: This paper describes purchases of non-alcoholic refreshment beverages among participants in the U.