Publications by authors named "R Gertler"
Use of prescriber requirements among US commercial health plans.
J Manag Care Spec Pharm
December 2021
Prescriber requirements are a form of utilization management (UM) in which health plans require that a certain type of physician (eg, a rheumatologist) prescribe a drug. To examine how a set of US commercial health plans impose prescriber requirements in their specialty drug coverage decisions. We identified specialty drug coverage decisions from the Tufts Medical Center Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage (SPEC) Database.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Insurers often require patients to try and fail on cheaper alternatives before accessing certain specialty drugs, a practice known as step therapy.
- Data from major US health plans showed that 38.9% of drug coverage policies utilized this requirement, with significant variations among plans.
- Many of these step therapy protocols (55.6%) were found to be stricter than clinical guidelines, raising concerns about their effectiveness and the burden they place on patients and healthcare providers, highlighting a need for potential legislative reform.
Article Synopsis
- - Today's management of ventilated patients still depends on traditional metrics like airway pressures and flow, while also exploring new graphical methods to enhance understanding of patient-ventilator interactions.
- - The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare providers by presenting complex pulmonary issues, emphasizing the need for optimized bedside care using advanced technologies.
- - This review highlights both established practices and new monitoring advancements, advocating for a blend of foundational knowledge and innovative tools in intensive care.
Backgrund: The coagulation status of burn patients is generally impaired and is a major factor of the deteriorating burn patients' overall situation. In trauma and other patient groups, the differential diagnosis of coagulation impairment has been largely improved by the use of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®). The aim of this prospective observational study was the differentiated observation of coagulopathy in severely burned patients using standard parameters and ROTEM® thrombelastometry during the relevant stages of burn disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Very little data exist regarding the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on cefuroxime (CXM) pharmacokinetics in children less than one year of age.
Methods: 50 mg kg CXM i.v.