Ohio Health Policy News

Concern grows over reduction in cancer screenings amid pandemic

Experts are expressing concern that a reduction in cancer screenings over the past year will soon result in an increase in advanced cases (Source: “Advanced Cancers Are Emerging, Doctors Warn, Citing Pandemic Drop in Screenings,” New York Times, March 17).

Months of lockdowns and waves of surging COVID-19 cases throughout last year shuttered or reduced hours at clinics and cancer-testing labs, resulting in steep declines in the number of screenings, including for breast and colorectal cancers, experts have said.

Numerous studies showed that the number of patients screened or given a diagnosis of cancer fell during the early months of the pandemic. By mid-June, the rate of screenings for breast, colon and cervical cancers were still 29% to 36% lower than their prepandemic levels, according to an analysis of data by the Epic Health Research Network. Hundreds of thousands fewer screenings were performed last year than in 2019, according to the network data.

While it is too early to assess the full impact of the delays in screenings, many cancer specialists say they are concerned that patients are coming in with more severe disease.

“There’s no question in practice that we are seeing patients with more advanced breast cancer and colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Lucio N. Gordan, the president of the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, one of the nation’s largest independent oncology groups. 

Ohio Medicaid to pay for earlier hepatitis C treatment

The Ohio Department of Medicaid on Wednesday announced that it will begin paying for the treatment of patients with hepatitis C at an earlier stage of the disease (Source: “Ohio Department of Medicaid to treat those with Hepatitis C earlier,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 31, 2018).

Starting Jan. 1, 2019, the department will cover care for individuals when they first develop the disease instead of waiting until it progresses further.

Cases of hepatitis C have seen a resurgence in Ohio in recent years due to the opioid epidemic. The number of cases in the state climbed 38 percent from 2014 to 2017, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Health. In 2014, there were 15,806 new cases and by 2017, there were 21,882 new cases. Nationwide, more than 3 million people have chronic hepatitis C, according to the CDC.

“Individuals with opioid use disorder are the fastest growing population impacted by hepatitis C,” Tom Betti, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Medicaid, said in a prepared statement. “In an effort to mitigate the harm caused by the opioid epidemic, the Ohio Department of Medicaid is changing policy to begin earlier therapy for individuals with chronic hepatitis C. We have been studying this issue for some time and believe this action is the next appropriate step as part of Ohio’s response to the opioid crisis.”

Medicare diabetes prevention program struggles at launch

The rollout of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, a major new benefit that could help millions of people, is getting off to a rocky start, according to interviews with nearly a dozen experts (Source: “New Medicare Perk For Diabetes Prevention Stumbles At Rollout,” Kaiser Health News, April 19, 2018).

Several weeks ago Medicare launched an initiative to prevent seniors and people with serious disabilities from developing Type 2 diabetes, one of the most common and costly medical conditions in the U.S.

In all but a few locations, experts said, Medicare’s new prevention program — a yearlong series of classes about healthy eating, physical activity and behavioral change for people at high risk of developing diabetes — isn’t up and running yet. And there’s no easy way (no phone number or website) to learn where it’s available.

In a first for Medicare, community organizations such as YMCAs and senior centers will run the program, not doctors and hospitals. But many sites are struggling with Medicare’s contracting requirements and are hesitant to assume demanding administrative responsibilities, said Brenda Schmidt, acting president of the Council for Diabetes Prevention and chief executive officer of Solera Health, a company that assembles provider networks.