This post was originally published as a July 17, 2018 article in Disabled World.

By: Stephanie Bozarth 

​Should one consider the life of a person with a disability less valuable than the life of a person without a disability? Alarmingly, states are increasingly relying on policies that do just that, in order to determine the value of health care services and treatments. For children suffering from life-threatening and debilitating disorders, like my daughter, reliance on any standard that considers her life less valuable than someone without a disability, is simply unacceptable.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. PCORI Funding Announcement: Implementation of Effective Shared Decision Making Approaches in Practice Settings -- Cycle 2 2018, click here to apply.
2. PCORI Peer Review Opportunity, click here to apply.
3. Kaiser Health News: A Hospital’s Human Touch: Why Taking Care In Discharging A Patient Matters, click here to read the article.
4. IFPA: Patients Shouldn’t Have to ‘Fail First,’ click here to watch the video. 
5. Patient EngagementHIT: What Are the Top Patient Engagement Measures in Value-Based Care? Click here to read the article.
6. CMS Webinar: Technical Expert Panels: Developing and Implementing a TEP for Better Quality Measures, Click here to register. 
7. The PCORI Blog: The Latest Published Results of PCORI-Funded Studies, click here to read the blog.
8. Study: Specialty Drug Coverage Varies Across Commercial Health Plans In The US, click here to read the study.
9. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
10. Medical Journal Articles, see details below
11. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Today: FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
2. PCORI Video: Mentorship and Training to Improve Patient Engagement, click here to watch the video. 
3. Patient EngagementHIT: Top Challenges Impacting Patient Access to Healthcare, click here to read the article. 
4. FierceHealthcare: It’s time to move to 'value 2.0' in healthcare,  click here to read the article.
5. Forbes: Canaries in the Coal Mine, click here to read the article.
6. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
7. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
8. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Alliance for Aging Research: Promoting Wellness in Older Adults with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders: Call to Action to All Stakeholders, click here to read the white paper. 
2. HealthLeaders: 6 Themes Driving Healthcare Leaders To Change, click here read the article.
3. Patient EngagementHIT: Patient Engagement Technology Comes to Forefront in Healthcare, click here to read the article.
4. FierceHealthcare: Patient-Centered Medical Home Program Saves Carefirst $1.2B, Pays Off For Doctors, click here to read the article.
5. Video: It All Starts with Patient Engagement, click here to watch the video.
6. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
7. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
8. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
9. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Alliance for Aging Research: Promoting Wellness in Older Adults with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders: Call to Action to All Stakeholders, click here to read the white paper. 
2. Request for Comment: AHRQ Library of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Resources, click here for details.
3. PCORI Podcast: Asking Questions, Researching Answers to Help Improve Medical Care, click here to listen to the podcast.  
4. Video: It All Starts with Patient Engagement, click here to watch the video.
5. Patient EngagementHIT: Walgreens, Humana Partner for Senior Patient Access to Care, click here to read the article.
6. HealthTech Magazine: How Telemedicine Helps Healthcare Organizations Improve Patient Engagement and Satisfaction, click here to read the article.
7. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
9. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. The PCORI Blog: Connecting Patient and Family Groups with Health Researchers, click here to read the blog
2. Foundation Fighting Blindness and CheckedUp Partner to Educate Retinal-Disease Patients About Research, Resources, and Emerging Therapies During Doctor Visits, click here to read the press release.  
3. Briefing — Endometriosis: Erasing Stigma, Improving Patient Care, click here to RSVP.
4. Healthcare Dive — Fight for Mandated Nurse-to-Patient Ratios Heats Up, click here to read the article.
5. Clinical Leader: What's Next In Patient Engagement?, click here to read the article.
6. Patient EngagementHIT: FDA Recommits to Patient-Centered Care, Patient Access to Care, click here to read the article.
7. Request for Comment: AHRQ Library of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Resources, click here for details.
8. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
9. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
10. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
11. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Dr. Selby: Patient-Centered Care Requires Breaking Old Traditions, click here to read the op-ed
2. Global Healthy Living Foundation to Present at the VA Medical Device Registry Summit, click here to read the press release.
3. Briefing — Endometriosis: Erasing Stigma, Improving Patient Care, click here to RSVP.
4. Request for Comment: AHRQ Library of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Resources, click here for details.
5. PCORI Board of Governors Meeting: April 30, 2018, click here to view.
6. Patient EngagementHIT: AHA Launches Strategy for Patient-Centered Care for Aging Patients, click here to read the article.
7. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
9. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity: Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program, click here to apply.
2. Request for Comment: AHRQ Library of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Resources, click here for details.
3. At ISPOR’s 23rd Annual Meeting, PIPC Executive Director Sara van Geertruyden Discusses the Consequences of Flawed Value Assessments in Healthcare, see details below.
4. Bloomberg: The Doctors Who Hate Insurance So Much They Go Without It, click here to read the article. 
5. PAF Partners with National Prostate Cancer Groups to Conduct Survey of Patient Preferences, Values, and Experiences, click here to read the survey. 
6. MS Groups Working to Advance Patient-Reported Outcomes in Research, Patient Care and Treatment Development, click here to read the article.
7. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
9.Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. At ISPOR’s 23rd Annual Meeting, PIPC Executive Director Sara van Geertruyden Discusses the Consequences of Flawed Value Assessments in Healthcare, see details below.
2. PIPC Patient Blog: Close-Minded Medicaid Proposals Would Harm Patients, click here to read the blog.
3. Patient EngagementHIT: How Do Patient-Centered Medical Homes Support Patient Engagement? Click here to read the article.
4. Neurology Advisor: Language Used in Medical Record Can Affect Patient Care, click here to read the article.
5. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
6. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
7. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
8. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. Letter to MedPAC: Don’t Allow Medicare to Rely on Flawed Cost Effectiveness Analyses, click here to read the letter.
2. PMC 14th Annual State of Personalized Medicine Luncheon, click here to register.  
3. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
4. PCORI's LGBT Health Portfolio Works to Address Major Disparities, click here to read the blog. 
5. Patient EngagementHIT: Partnering with Advocates for Patient Engagement in Research, click here to read the article. 
6. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
7. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
8. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. FDA Meeting for Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain, click here to register.
2. PCORI’s Influence on the Culture of Research, click here to read the blog.
3. The Hill: NIH Launches Massive New Personalized Research Project, click here to read the article.
4. The Health Care Blog: Seeing Value From the Patient's Perspective, click here to read the blog.  
5. Inside Philanthropy: Grants to Tackle a Difficult—But Unavoidable—Issue: End-of-Life Care, click here to read the article. 
6. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
7. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
8. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below

In an op-ed for The Hill, PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho outlined his concerns with MedPAC’s pursuit of cost-effective analysis to make coverage and reimbursement decisions. As he writes, "As policymakers encourage a transition towards value-based health care, I worry that more focus is being given to what is most cost-effective for the “average patient” than creating a system that works for each individual patient. I am not average. You are not average. We are the reason a health-care system exists — our health and well-being, our treatment, our recovery."

In This Week’s Issue:
  
1. PCORI Board of Governors Meeting Today!  Advanced Illness, Opioids and Back Pain on Agenda. Click here to comment at 5:15pm
2. IFPA White Paper: The ICER Myth, click here to read the white paper
3. Request for Nominations: PCORI Board of Governors, click here to apply
4. NASHP: Policymakers Weigh Patient-Centered Research into Care Models for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness, click here to read the blog. 
5. PatientEngagementHIT: CMS Calls for Patient-Centered Data Access in New Agency Initiative, click here to read the article. 
6. AHRQ Keeps Working To Reduce Health Disparities, click here to read the article. 
7. Webinar: CMS Quality Measures — How They are used and How You Can Be involved, click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
9. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.