In This Week’s Issue:
1. The Hill: PIPC Chairman calls on Congress to Protect Patients from MedPAC Consideration of Cost-per-QALY in Medicare, click here to read the op-ed.
2. PIPC Submits Comments to Senators Addressing Barriers to Price and Information Transparency, click here to read the letter.
3. Healthcare Dive: AMA Survey Says Prior Authorizations Hurting Clinical Outcomes, click here to read the blog.
4. PatientEngagementHIT: Strategic Goals Need Alignment to Drive Quality Patient Experience, click here to read the article.
5. Healio: Shared Decision-Making in Cancer Treatment ‘Worth The Effort,’ click here to read the article.
6. CancerCare Videos Underscore the Importance of Including Patients in Treatment Decisions
7. FDA Public Meeting: Evaluating Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Clinical Trials, 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.
1. The Hill: PIPC Chairman calls on Congress to Protect Patients from MedPAC Consideration of Cost-per-QALY in Medicare, click here to read the op-ed.
2. PIPC Submits Comments to Senators Addressing Barriers to Price and Information Transparency, click here to read the letter.
3. Healthcare Dive: AMA Survey Says Prior Authorizations Hurting Clinical Outcomes, click here to read the blog.
4. PatientEngagementHIT: Strategic Goals Need Alignment to Drive Quality Patient Experience, click here to read the article.
5. Healio: Shared Decision-Making in Cancer Treatment ‘Worth The Effort,’ click here to read the article.
6. CancerCare Videos Underscore the Importance of Including Patients in Treatment Decisions
7. FDA Public Meeting: Evaluating Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Clinical Trials, 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.
1. The Hill: PIPC Chairman Calls on Congress to Protect Patients from MedPAC Consideration of Cost-Per-QALY in Medicare
PIPC’s Chairman Tony Coelho penned an op-ed in The Hill outlining his concerns with MedPAC’s pursuit of cost-effective analysis to make coverage and reimbursement decisions. “As MedPAC considers whether cost-effectiveness has a place in Medicare payment policy, there is good reason to be concerned about the implications of health-care coverage policy built on population-based value assessments. For people with disabilities and patients with chronic conditions who may or may not be cured, access to treatments and health interventions can be essential in improving their quality of life. And because cost-effectiveness models systematically disadvantage the most complex patients, these communities have a long history opposing the use of QALYs as the benchmark to measure the value of health care interventions.” Click here to read the op-ed.
2. PIPC Submits Comments to Senators Addressing Barriers to Price and Information Transparency
PIPC has submitted comments to a group of bipartisan senators who requested information on barriers to price and information transparency in health care. “Empowering patients is the missing step to improving quality of healthcare and lowering healthcare costs. Innovation and patient- centered outcomes research makes care tailored to individual patients possible based on our increased understanding of the differential impact of treatments on diverse patients. With increased availability of information about treatments, patients will be empowered to be self- advocates for higher quality healthcare.” Click here to read the letter.
3. Healthcare Dive: AMA Survey Says Prior Authorizations Hurting Clinical Outcomes
Les Masterson reports on a new American Medical Association survey which found that 92% of physicians report prior authorizations have a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes. “The AMA said the survey results show that prior authorization programs need reforms. AMA Chair-elect Dr. Jack Resneck Jr. said prior authorization programs can help limit overprescribing and overuse of medical services. However, payers often require too much prior authorization. Resneck gave an example of payers requiring prior authorization for generic medications. Those processes are ‘a lengthy administrative nightmare of recurring paperwork, multiple phone calls and bureaucratic battles that can delay or disrupt a patient’s access to vital care.’” Click here to read the blog.
4. PatientEngagementHIT: Strategic Goals Need Alignment to Drive Quality Patient Experience
Sara Heath of PatientEngagementHIT notes that that patient safety, clinical quality, workforce engagement, and patient experience need to align to create organization transformation. “Organization leaders have recognized this shift toward patient-centered care and acknowledged that quality care is more than just good clinical outcomes. However, these leaders have tackled patient centricity in a fragmented, siloed way, the reported argued. While working to improve quality, patient safety, workforce engagement, and patient experience, leadership has assigned teams to overcome issues one at a time. Organization leaders have not acknowledged the interdependency between these factors.” Click here to read the article.
5. Healio: Shared Decision-Making in Cancer Treatment ‘Worth The Effort’
Beth Faiman writes in Healio about the importance of shared decision-making in cancer treatment. “The science of health care delivery has continued to evolve over the last 20 to 30 years and, more recently, with a rapid pace. Patient-centered care has become the focus of many health care systems. This is especially true in light of the numerous treatment and supportive innovations that aim to successfully enhance one’s quantity — and often — quality of life. Now, more than ever, engaging individuals and their caregivers regarding treatment and diagnostic decisions is considered integral to quality, patient-centered care.” Click here to read the article.
6. CancerCare Videos Underscore the Importance of Including Patients in Treatment Decisions
As part of their Patient Values Initiative (PVI), CancerCare has released three videos to share patients’ firsthand accounts of their distinct experiences with cancer. “Watch Diane, Tani and Miguel as they discuss their unique goals, lifestyles and priorities, while underscoring the importance that care teams partner with patients to develop treatment plans that align with each individual’s needs. The PVI is CancerCare’s multi-pronged effort aimed at reframing the national healthcare policy framework to ensure that patient engagement in treatment decision-making becomes the true standard of care.” Click here to watch the videos.
7. FDA Public Meeting: Evaluating Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Clinical Trials
The FDA is folding a public meeting on April 16 to discuss how to improve eligibility criteria for clinical trials to better represent the broader patient population and increase diversity. “Convened by the Duke-Robert J. Margolis, MD, Center for Health Policy at Duke University and supported by a cooperative agreement with FDA, this public event will bring the stakeholder community together to discuss a variety of topics related to eligibility criteria in clinical trials, their potential impact on patient access to investigational drugs, and how they might facilitate the enrollment of a diverse patient population. Other topics that will be addressed during the public meeting include alternative clinical trial designs that may increase enrollment of more diverse patient populations, as well as opportunities for using data from expanded access trials.” Click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars
Advisory Panel on Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research Spring 2018 Meeting
April 11, 2018
Click here for details.
Precision Health, Big Data, and Evidence-Based Medicine - Contradictions or Companions?
April 19, 2018
Click here for details.
Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement Spring 2018 Meeting
April 19-20, 2018
Click here for details.
PCORI Online: Cycle 1 2018 Application Submission Webinar
April 24, 2018
Click here for details.
2018 Patient Centered Outcomes Research Symposium
April 25, 2018
Click here for details.
PCORI Board of Governors Meeting
April 30, 2018
Click here for details
NPC @ ISPOR 23rd Annual International Meeting
May 19-23, 2018
Click here for details
DIA 2018 Global Annual Meeting
June 24-28, 2018
Click here for details.
9. Medical Journal Articles
Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs): Identifying Challenges and Solutions to Support Engagement in Research, click here to view.
Missing Data in Trial-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: An Incomplete Journey, click here to view.
Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and Warfarin, Stratified by Stroke Risk in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation, click here to view.
Patient-Centered Recruitment and Retention for a Randomized Controlled Study, click here to view.
Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers, Brand-Name Drug Prices, and Patient Cost Sharing, click here to view.
Frequency and Magnitude of Co-Payments Exceeding Prescription Drug Costs, click here to view.
Factors Contributing to Higher Health Care Spending in the United States Compared With Other High-Income Countries, click here to view.
PCORnet's Collaborative Research Groups, click here to view.
Increasing Uptake of Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Among Stakeholders: Insights from Conference Discussion, click here to view.
Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Enhancing Uptake and Use by Patients, Clinicians and Payers, click here to view.
Comparative Effectiveness Research Requires Competitive Effectiveness, click here to view.
What Parents of Children With Complex Medical Conditions Want Their Child’s Physicians to Understand, click here to view.
PCORnet's Collaborative Research Groups, click here to view.
Guidelines for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Clinical Trial Protocols, click here to view.
Ensuring the Patient Voice in Quality: An Educational Program for Patient Groups and Advocates, click here to view.
Patient-Reported Outcomes: Design with the End in Mind, click here to view.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates
Role of Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Asthma, click here to view.
Library of Common Data Definitions: Atrial Fibrillation, click here to view.
Library of Common Data Definitions: Asthma, click here to view.
Patient or Participant Generated Registries, click here to view.
Effects of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Related Risk Factors, click here to view.
Prioritization and Selection of Harms for Inclusion in Systematic Reviews, click here to view.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents, click here to view.
A Framework for Conceptualizing Evidence Needs of Health Systems, click here to view.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Adult Women: A Systematic Review Update, click here to view.
Drug Therapy for Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review Update, click here to view.
Effects of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Related Risk Factors, click here to view.
Management of Insomnia Disorder - Consumer and Clinician Summaries, click here to view
Harms of First-Line Depression Treatment in Older Adults, click here to view.
Management of Renal Masses and Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma: Current State of the Evidence - Clinician Summary, click here to view.
PIPC’s Chairman Tony Coelho penned an op-ed in The Hill outlining his concerns with MedPAC’s pursuit of cost-effective analysis to make coverage and reimbursement decisions. “As MedPAC considers whether cost-effectiveness has a place in Medicare payment policy, there is good reason to be concerned about the implications of health-care coverage policy built on population-based value assessments. For people with disabilities and patients with chronic conditions who may or may not be cured, access to treatments and health interventions can be essential in improving their quality of life. And because cost-effectiveness models systematically disadvantage the most complex patients, these communities have a long history opposing the use of QALYs as the benchmark to measure the value of health care interventions.” Click here to read the op-ed.
2. PIPC Submits Comments to Senators Addressing Barriers to Price and Information Transparency
PIPC has submitted comments to a group of bipartisan senators who requested information on barriers to price and information transparency in health care. “Empowering patients is the missing step to improving quality of healthcare and lowering healthcare costs. Innovation and patient- centered outcomes research makes care tailored to individual patients possible based on our increased understanding of the differential impact of treatments on diverse patients. With increased availability of information about treatments, patients will be empowered to be self- advocates for higher quality healthcare.” Click here to read the letter.
3. Healthcare Dive: AMA Survey Says Prior Authorizations Hurting Clinical Outcomes
Les Masterson reports on a new American Medical Association survey which found that 92% of physicians report prior authorizations have a negative impact on patient clinical outcomes. “The AMA said the survey results show that prior authorization programs need reforms. AMA Chair-elect Dr. Jack Resneck Jr. said prior authorization programs can help limit overprescribing and overuse of medical services. However, payers often require too much prior authorization. Resneck gave an example of payers requiring prior authorization for generic medications. Those processes are ‘a lengthy administrative nightmare of recurring paperwork, multiple phone calls and bureaucratic battles that can delay or disrupt a patient’s access to vital care.’” Click here to read the blog.
4. PatientEngagementHIT: Strategic Goals Need Alignment to Drive Quality Patient Experience
Sara Heath of PatientEngagementHIT notes that that patient safety, clinical quality, workforce engagement, and patient experience need to align to create organization transformation. “Organization leaders have recognized this shift toward patient-centered care and acknowledged that quality care is more than just good clinical outcomes. However, these leaders have tackled patient centricity in a fragmented, siloed way, the reported argued. While working to improve quality, patient safety, workforce engagement, and patient experience, leadership has assigned teams to overcome issues one at a time. Organization leaders have not acknowledged the interdependency between these factors.” Click here to read the article.
5. Healio: Shared Decision-Making in Cancer Treatment ‘Worth The Effort’
Beth Faiman writes in Healio about the importance of shared decision-making in cancer treatment. “The science of health care delivery has continued to evolve over the last 20 to 30 years and, more recently, with a rapid pace. Patient-centered care has become the focus of many health care systems. This is especially true in light of the numerous treatment and supportive innovations that aim to successfully enhance one’s quantity — and often — quality of life. Now, more than ever, engaging individuals and their caregivers regarding treatment and diagnostic decisions is considered integral to quality, patient-centered care.” Click here to read the article.
6. CancerCare Videos Underscore the Importance of Including Patients in Treatment Decisions
As part of their Patient Values Initiative (PVI), CancerCare has released three videos to share patients’ firsthand accounts of their distinct experiences with cancer. “Watch Diane, Tani and Miguel as they discuss their unique goals, lifestyles and priorities, while underscoring the importance that care teams partner with patients to develop treatment plans that align with each individual’s needs. The PVI is CancerCare’s multi-pronged effort aimed at reframing the national healthcare policy framework to ensure that patient engagement in treatment decision-making becomes the true standard of care.” Click here to watch the videos.
7. FDA Public Meeting: Evaluating Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Clinical Trials
The FDA is folding a public meeting on April 16 to discuss how to improve eligibility criteria for clinical trials to better represent the broader patient population and increase diversity. “Convened by the Duke-Robert J. Margolis, MD, Center for Health Policy at Duke University and supported by a cooperative agreement with FDA, this public event will bring the stakeholder community together to discuss a variety of topics related to eligibility criteria in clinical trials, their potential impact on patient access to investigational drugs, and how they might facilitate the enrollment of a diverse patient population. Other topics that will be addressed during the public meeting include alternative clinical trial designs that may increase enrollment of more diverse patient populations, as well as opportunities for using data from expanded access trials.” Click here to register.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars
Advisory Panel on Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research Spring 2018 Meeting
April 11, 2018
Click here for details.
Precision Health, Big Data, and Evidence-Based Medicine - Contradictions or Companions?
April 19, 2018
Click here for details.
Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement Spring 2018 Meeting
April 19-20, 2018
Click here for details.
PCORI Online: Cycle 1 2018 Application Submission Webinar
April 24, 2018
Click here for details.
2018 Patient Centered Outcomes Research Symposium
April 25, 2018
Click here for details.
PCORI Board of Governors Meeting
April 30, 2018
Click here for details
NPC @ ISPOR 23rd Annual International Meeting
May 19-23, 2018
Click here for details
DIA 2018 Global Annual Meeting
June 24-28, 2018
Click here for details.
9. Medical Journal Articles
Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs): Identifying Challenges and Solutions to Support Engagement in Research, click here to view.
Missing Data in Trial-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: An Incomplete Journey, click here to view.
Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants and Warfarin, Stratified by Stroke Risk in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation, click here to view.
Patient-Centered Recruitment and Retention for a Randomized Controlled Study, click here to view.
Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers, Brand-Name Drug Prices, and Patient Cost Sharing, click here to view.
Frequency and Magnitude of Co-Payments Exceeding Prescription Drug Costs, click here to view.
Factors Contributing to Higher Health Care Spending in the United States Compared With Other High-Income Countries, click here to view.
PCORnet's Collaborative Research Groups, click here to view.
Increasing Uptake of Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Among Stakeholders: Insights from Conference Discussion, click here to view.
Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Enhancing Uptake and Use by Patients, Clinicians and Payers, click here to view.
Comparative Effectiveness Research Requires Competitive Effectiveness, click here to view.
What Parents of Children With Complex Medical Conditions Want Their Child’s Physicians to Understand, click here to view.
PCORnet's Collaborative Research Groups, click here to view.
Guidelines for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Clinical Trial Protocols, click here to view.
Ensuring the Patient Voice in Quality: An Educational Program for Patient Groups and Advocates, click here to view.
Patient-Reported Outcomes: Design with the End in Mind, click here to view.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates
Role of Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Asthma, click here to view.
Library of Common Data Definitions: Atrial Fibrillation, click here to view.
Library of Common Data Definitions: Asthma, click here to view.
Patient or Participant Generated Registries, click here to view.
Effects of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Related Risk Factors, click here to view.
Prioritization and Selection of Harms for Inclusion in Systematic Reviews, click here to view.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents, click here to view.
A Framework for Conceptualizing Evidence Needs of Health Systems, click here to view.
Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Adult Women: A Systematic Review Update, click here to view.
Drug Therapy for Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review Update, click here to view.
Effects of Dietary Sodium and Potassium Intake on Chronic Disease Outcomes and Related Risk Factors, click here to view.
Management of Insomnia Disorder - Consumer and Clinician Summaries, click here to view
Harms of First-Line Depression Treatment in Older Adults, click here to view.
Management of Renal Masses and Localized Renal Cell Carcinoma: Current State of the Evidence - Clinician Summary, click here to view.