Managed Care Cast

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) was joined by Yubin Park, PhD, and Michael Ellenbogen, MD, authors of research published in the March 2026 issue.

Because financial incentives may influence clinical decision-making, their study examined the relationship between industry payments and Medicare beneficiary spending.

As reflected in its title, “Industry Payments to Cardiologists Are Associated With Higher Medicare Spending,” their cross-sectional analysis of more than 26,000 cardiologists found that industry payments were associated with increased Medicare costs. Specifically, every $10,000 in payments was linked to an additional $14.10 in beneficiary spending.

In AJMC’s conversation with the authors, they discuss what inspired their research, the key findings, and how these results may inform policies and strategies to both better manage physician-industry relationships and control health care spending.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, I spoke with Dr. Michael Bernstein, an assistant professor in the department of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert Medical School, and Brian Sheppard, a professor of law at Seton Hall Law who focuses on malpractice litigation, to discuss the broader implications of AI becoming more prevalent in health care; understanding its potential impact on legal outcomes and physician liability is essential for providers, risk managers, and policymakers alike.

In January, the CDC announced major revisions to the US childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of diseases covered by routine vaccines from 17 to 11. The changes followed a December 2025 presidential memorandum directing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and acting CDC director Jim O’Neill to update the schedule if “superior approaches” were identified abroad.

The revisions also come months after Kennedy ended the terms of all 17 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members in June 2025 and quickly replaced them with new appointees, some of whom had previously expressed antivaccine views. He said the move was intended to restore public trust in vaccines.

To better understand what these developments could mean for vaccine access and coverage, The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) spoke with Susan Cantrell, the CEO of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, about the managed care pharmacy perspective on the updated recommendations.

Throughout her conversation with AJMC, she discussed her reaction to the changes and their implications for pediatric vaccination and public health, as well as the evolving role of managed care pharmacists in supporting vaccine access and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

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