Hold the Phone
Prior Authorization Aggravation
92 % 92 % 78 % reported delays in access to necessary care said they negatively impact patient outcomes said they sometimes lead to treatment abandonment
In Trials We Trust
50 % to 39 % ( ↓11 %)
Asians 45 % to 39 % ( ↓6 %)
Hispanics 43 % to 34 % ( ↓9 %)
Data Stream
Hold the Phone
Results from a long-awaited National Institutes of Health study on the risks of cellphone radiofrequency radiation ( RFR ) exposure and cancer have been released , and … they ’ re inconclusive .
Researchers in the National Toxicology Program exposed 3,000 rodents to RFR for about 9 hours a day at levels that ranged from the upper limit of what is permitted under cellphone laws , to about 4 times the limit . They reported that
6 % of the animals in the highest exposure group developed tumors .
No tumors were observed in the control group , leading the authors to state that RFR has “ some evidence of carcinogenic activity .”
While investigators warned that “ these findings should not be directly extrapolated to human cellphone usage ,” they noted similarities to tumors reported in some studies of frequent cellphone users .
Sources : National Institutes of Health press release , February 2 , 2018 ; National Toxicology Program technical report , March 28 , 2018 .
Prior Authorization Aggravation
Prior authorizations required by health insurance companies for certain medications add to physicians ’ paperwork burden and disrupt patients ’ access to care , according to a survey by the American Medical Association .
Of 1,000 practicing physicians asked about the effects of priorauthorization requirements :
%
%
%
%
%
%
92 % 92 % 78 % reported delays in access to necessary care said they negatively impact patient outcomes said they sometimes lead to treatment abandonment
Survey respondents also said the burden of prior authorizations has grown in the past 5 years : 84 % describe the burden as “ high or extremely high .”
Sources : American Medical Association press release , March 19 , 2018 ; American Medical Association , “ 2017 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey .”
In Trials We Trust
In a survey conducted by Research ! America , about 60 % of non-white , minority participants said that they trusted the clinical trials process , meaning the lack of trust among minorities is less of a barrier to participation than previously thought .
And , the sense of mistrust has dropped since 2013 among all minority groups surveyed : 2013 2017 African-Americans
50 % to 39 % ( ↓11 %)
Asians 45 % to 39 % ( ↓6 %)
Hispanics 43 % to 34 % ( ↓9 %)
The percentage of people reporting self or family member participation in a trial rose in the last 5 years , as well , particularly among African-Americans ( 15 % to 22 %).
“ As more information about clinical trials is shared broadly , especially by physicians , we should continue to see an uptick in the number of Americans across all groups who recognize the value of clinical trials ,” the authors said . “ The next challenge is to ensure that all segments of the population have access to enrollment opportunities in order to boost participation and advance medical progress .”
Sources : Research ! America press release , September 19 , 2017 ; Research ! America , “ Clinical Trials : Survey Data of Minority Populations .”
28 ASH Clinical News May 2018