Dear John,

Last week, Health Affairs co-hosted a professional development session with the Society of Health Policy Young Professionals focused on lessons for the next generation of health policy leaders.

Health Affairs Scholar Volume 2, Issue 4 Highlights

Volume 2, Issue 4 of Health Affairs Scholar features research on e-visit billing trends, the impact of pharmacy deserts on access to essential services, the effectiveness of licensing waivers in expanding access to tele-mental health care, and more.

The introduction of online digital evaluation and management (E&M) by CMS aimed to allow clinicians to address patient concerns asynchronously through patient portal messages, known as e-visits.

In this month’s Editors’ Choice article, Terrence Liu and coauthors explore e-visit billing trends considering mounting concerns that the increasing volume of portal messages may contribute to physician burnout.

The authors find that while e-visits constitute a small percentage of billed care, primary care providers bill more frequently for these services than other specialists.

A study by Rachel Wittenauer and colleagues investigates the locations and characteristics of communities living in pharmacy deserts across the United States.

Antonios Koumpias and coauthors discuss the impact of licensure waivers on access to out of state tele-mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their results indicate a significant increase in out of state tele-mental health care utilization following licensing waivers particularly among established patients and those living in rural areas neighboring urban centers.

However, the effectiveness of waivers varied across metropolitan statistical areas, highlighting the need for policy makers to consider regional factors and existing regulatory frameworks to promote greater accessibility.

Also included in the issue:

Debbie Chang highlights evidence-based opportunities to address domestic violence in light of the newly released National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Brandon Doan and coauthors explore the complex decisions surrounding resource allocation in jails and prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dunc Williams, Jr. and colleagues examine the impact of real estate investment trusts and private equity investments on the financial performance of nursing homes.

Amelia Haviland and coauthors compare the clinical quality of care available for dually eligible individuals across the three most common Medicare coverage options.

Drug pricing legislation and Washington’s health care agenda

What's on Congress' health care agenda this year? Download Axios Pro's expert analysis on what matters, what's coming and what to watch in 2024.

How the ACA Market Has Matured w/ Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis

This month, HHS released the final "Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters" for 2025.

This final notice sets standards and requirements for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and health insurers. Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis, who co-authored a piece about the notice in Health Affairs Forefront, join Health Affairs This Week host Jeff Byers to discuss the new standards and how the ACA marketplace has matured over the years.

Improving Access To Medigap When Beneficiaries Leave Medicare Advantage

Paul Ginsburg and Steven Lieberman

Health Affairs Reads: How To Endure A Pandemic And Learn Almost Nothing

Arthur Caplan

On May 9, Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil will be joined by the current National Coordinator, Micky Tripathi, and several of his predecessors for a look back at the achievements of the ONC on electronic health records, interoperability, meaningful use, and a look forward at the opportunities and challenges ahead in health information technology, including harnessing artificial intelligence, improving data analytics, and expanding digital health.

The current list of participants is:

• Micky Tripathi (2021- ), National Coordinator for Health IT

• David Brailer (2004-2006), Chief Medical Officer, The Cigna Group

• Rob Kolodner (2006- 2009), Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ViTel Net

• David Blumenthal (2009-2011), Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Health Policy, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health

• Karen DeSalvo (2014-2016), Chief Health Officer, Google