Health

Healthcare Economist Unbiased Analysis of Today’s Healthcare Issues

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    by Jason Shafrin on April 17, 2026 at 4:48 am

    What can we learn about nursing and AI from The Pitt.  FDA expediting first-in-human trials? IIA. Measles back in SF. US fertility at all-time low.

  • Impact of Continuous Glucose Monitoring on Clinical Outcomes and Productivity Losses Among People Living With Type 2 Diabetes Not Using Insulin From an Employer’s Perspective
    by Jason Shafrin on April 15, 2026 at 10:33 pm

    That is the title of a new paper out yesterday in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology from my FTI colleague Marie Steele-Adjognon, along with Martha E. Shepherd, Jon Harris-Shapiro, David Hines, Abraham Lee and Yeesha Poon. The abstract is below. Background: This study evaluated the impact of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on health…

  • Two visions for value – Why GCEA and HEMA clash on drug pricing
    by Jason Shafrin on April 14, 2026 at 6:21 pm

    That is the title of my latest Perspectives from the Healthcare Economist article published in The Evidence Base this week. Here is the teaser: In this guest column, healthcare economist Jason Shafrin (FTI Consulting and Mann School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California) explores a widening divide over how health systems define value, and what that means…

  • Why your measurement of medication adherence may be flawed
    by Jason Shafrin on April 14, 2026 at 5:44 am

    Proportion of days covered (PDC) is the most widely endorsed measure of medication adherence. For instance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses PDC as its preferred adherence measure for its Quality Rating System for many chronic conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia). However, your PDC measure may be flawed depending on what…

  • Quantifying the Lifetime Economic Impact of Pediatric Oral Nutritional Supplements
    by Jason Shafrin on April 10, 2026 at 12:52 am

    That is the title of a new paper published this week in Clinical Nutrition with co-authors Kyi-Sin Than, Khounish Sharma, Kirk W. Kerr, and Dhanasekhar Kesavelu. The abstract is below: IntroductionPediatric malnutrition is a significant global public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study quantifies the lifetime, per-person economic impact of pediatric…