In This Week’s Issue:
1. PIPC to Comment on the Innovation for Healthier Americans Report, click here to view the full comments after 2pm.
2. PCORI Submits Comments to E&C Regarding 21st Century Cures, click here for details.
3. Healthcare News: Patient questionnaire can help measure disability risk following surgery, click here to view the full article.
4. Healthcare Design: Pushing Beyond Patient-Centered Design, click here to view the full interview.
5. Interview: PCORI Perspectives on Pragmatic Research and Patient Engagement, click here to view the full video.
6. Health IT Analytics: Are Standardized Clinical Pathways Stymying Drug Innovation? Click here to view the full article.
7. The Scope: Health Care Insider: Emerging Trends in Evidence-Based Medicine, click here to listen to the full podcast.
8. The Wall Street Journal: Three Ways to Create Smarter Health-Care Consumers, click here to view the full post (subscription required).
9. Medical Journal Articles, see below for details.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see below for details.
1. PIPC to Comment on the Innovation for Healthier Americans Report, click here to view the full comments after 2pm.
2. PCORI Submits Comments to E&C Regarding 21st Century Cures, click here for details.
3. Healthcare News: Patient questionnaire can help measure disability risk following surgery, click here to view the full article.
4. Healthcare Design: Pushing Beyond Patient-Centered Design, click here to view the full interview.
5. Interview: PCORI Perspectives on Pragmatic Research and Patient Engagement, click here to view the full video.
6. Health IT Analytics: Are Standardized Clinical Pathways Stymying Drug Innovation? Click here to view the full article.
7. The Scope: Health Care Insider: Emerging Trends in Evidence-Based Medicine, click here to listen to the full podcast.
8. The Wall Street Journal: Three Ways to Create Smarter Health-Care Consumers, click here to view the full post (subscription required).
9. Medical Journal Articles, see below for details.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see below for details.
1. PIPC to Comment on the Innovation for Healthier Americans Report
Today, PIPC will submit comments to the Senate HELP Committee, stating, “The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) supports the goals of Innovation for Healthier Americans of accelerating discovery, development and delivery of innovative treatments. We applaud Chairman Lamar Alexander and Senator Richard Burr for issuing this report, and urge the Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee to work toward expanded innovation and access in a bipartisan manner.” PIPC will urge the committee to expand the HHS patient engagement infrastructure beyond FDA, and ensure that health systems are able to measure value to the patient. Click here to view the full comments after 2pm today.
2. PCORI Submits Comments to E&C Regarding 21st Century Cures
Last week, Dr. Joe V. Selby, Executive Director of PCORI, submitted comments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee stating, “The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) applauds the efforts of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to forge a bi-partisan approach to speeding development of effective new therapies and to involving patients in the process. PCORI has proven that involving patients leads to better research questions and better research post-approval. We agree that engaging patients will improve technology development research and PCORI stands ready to help. I am pleased to respond to your request to comment on the Discussion Document entitled the “21st Century Cures Act,” released on January 26, 2015. As you know, PCORI is a nonprofit organization that funds research to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help clinical decision makers — patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers, and policy makers — make better-informed health care decisions.
“PCORI’s legislatively mandated mission is to support research to determine which therapies work best for individual patients across a wide range of illnesses and conditions. Specifically, we fund research that can identify instances where a treatment works for some patients but not others and we can then study those in whom it does not work, looking at both genetic and non-genetic factors such as age, gender, race-ethnicity and concurrent illnesses. The results of our research can help identify novel disease mechanisms and pathways that can lead other entities to develop new, more effective therapies. At the other end of the development cycle, PCORI-funded comparative effectiveness research (CER) evaluates how new precision medicines work and for whom they work better than current approaches.” Click here for details.
3. Healthcare News: Patient questionnaire can help measure disability risk following surgery
In an article last week, Healthcare News explored a study published by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). ”Using the new instrument, researchers found high levels of postoperative disability, with up to 22 percent of patients experiencing moderate to complete disability following surgery. There was a modest correlation between older patients and higher postoperative disability scores. Interestingly, orthopedic patients experienced poorer rates of disability-free survival after surgery. This is most likely due to persistent post-surgical pain in this group, the authors note.” Click here to view the full article.
4. Healthcare Design: Pushing Beyond Patient-Centered Design
Anne DiNardo interviewed Susan B. Frampton, president of Planetree Inc.last week in Healthcare Design, “[Frampton is] busy working with the National Quality Forum to pilot a Patient Passport program, which allows patients to share information with caregivers, such as the people in their support system and any barriers to health. “It becomes a document that can encourage a different kind of conversation between a doctor and patient,” she says. It’s one of several tools that Frampton wants to use to help change the conversation about healthcare and close the gap in designing better healing environments. In this interview with Healthcare Design, Frampton talks about the evolution of design, the challenges of moving to a value-based system, and the importance of moving beyond patient-centric care.” Click here to view the full interview.
5. Interview: PCORI Perspectives on Pragmatic Research and Patient Engagement
In a videotaped discussion with the Center for Practical Bioethics, “Suzanne Schrandt, Deputy Director for Patient Engagement at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), discusses her work at PCORI and PCORI perspectives on pragmatic research and how it differs from traditional research.” Click here to view the full video.
6. Health IT Analytics: Are Standardized Clinical Pathways Stymying Drug Innovation?
Writing last week for Health IT Analytics, Jennifer Bresnick reported “While precision medicine, genomics, and personalized care are becoming big talking points in the research community, is the trend towards financial rewards for a relatively narrow band of evidence-based medicine limiting discovery by making less common treatments too expensive to use routinely?” Click here to view the full article.
7. The Scope: Health Care Insider: Emerging Trends in Evidence-Based Medicine
The University of Utah’s Health Sciences Radio: The Scope, released a podcast last week. “Dr. Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of JAMA, comments on new trends in evidence-based medicine. He notes that randomized controlled studies aren't always king, even though they're the most common. Patients want more of a say in the type of treatment they receive, particularly for certain types of cancer and end-of-life care. Dr. Bauchner provides insight on these issues and more.” Click here to listen to the full podcast.
8. The Wall Street Journal: Three Ways to Create Smarter Health-Care Consumers
David Blumenthal of The Wall Street Journal wrote a blog post last week commenting that, “Here, two questions arise. The first is why the government should be paying for studies of comparative effectiveness and costs of care, rather than the private sector. The answer is simple. Doing these studies is expensive, and the only private stakeholders with the money to do them are those that manufacture the products, or the insurance companies that pay for them. These industries have a strong stake in the results, which reduces trust in the findings. Government-funded studies are nonproprietary and available to the public, and agencies like PCORI include consumer representatives who can make sure that results reflect patient values and are understandable to laypersons.” Click here to view the full post (subscription required).
9. Medical Journal Articles
Special Issue: Comparative Effectiveness in Surgical Oncology: Click here to view.
Choosing Wisely: Changing Clinicians, Patients, or Policies? Click here to view.
Medicare Is Scrutinizing Evidence More Tightly For National Coverage Determinations: Click here to view.
Association Between the Use of Fondaparinux vs Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Non–ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Click here to view.
A New Era for Population Health: Government, Academia, and Community Moving Upstream Together: Click here to view.
Aflibercept, Bevacizumab, or Ranibizumab for Diabetic Macular Edema: Click here to view.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates
Interventions to Improve Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections: Click here to comment before Mar. 9, 2015
Today, PIPC will submit comments to the Senate HELP Committee, stating, “The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) supports the goals of Innovation for Healthier Americans of accelerating discovery, development and delivery of innovative treatments. We applaud Chairman Lamar Alexander and Senator Richard Burr for issuing this report, and urge the Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee to work toward expanded innovation and access in a bipartisan manner.” PIPC will urge the committee to expand the HHS patient engagement infrastructure beyond FDA, and ensure that health systems are able to measure value to the patient. Click here to view the full comments after 2pm today.
2. PCORI Submits Comments to E&C Regarding 21st Century Cures
Last week, Dr. Joe V. Selby, Executive Director of PCORI, submitted comments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee stating, “The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) applauds the efforts of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to forge a bi-partisan approach to speeding development of effective new therapies and to involving patients in the process. PCORI has proven that involving patients leads to better research questions and better research post-approval. We agree that engaging patients will improve technology development research and PCORI stands ready to help. I am pleased to respond to your request to comment on the Discussion Document entitled the “21st Century Cures Act,” released on January 26, 2015. As you know, PCORI is a nonprofit organization that funds research to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help clinical decision makers — patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers, and policy makers — make better-informed health care decisions.
“PCORI’s legislatively mandated mission is to support research to determine which therapies work best for individual patients across a wide range of illnesses and conditions. Specifically, we fund research that can identify instances where a treatment works for some patients but not others and we can then study those in whom it does not work, looking at both genetic and non-genetic factors such as age, gender, race-ethnicity and concurrent illnesses. The results of our research can help identify novel disease mechanisms and pathways that can lead other entities to develop new, more effective therapies. At the other end of the development cycle, PCORI-funded comparative effectiveness research (CER) evaluates how new precision medicines work and for whom they work better than current approaches.” Click here for details.
3. Healthcare News: Patient questionnaire can help measure disability risk following surgery
In an article last week, Healthcare News explored a study published by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). ”Using the new instrument, researchers found high levels of postoperative disability, with up to 22 percent of patients experiencing moderate to complete disability following surgery. There was a modest correlation between older patients and higher postoperative disability scores. Interestingly, orthopedic patients experienced poorer rates of disability-free survival after surgery. This is most likely due to persistent post-surgical pain in this group, the authors note.” Click here to view the full article.
4. Healthcare Design: Pushing Beyond Patient-Centered Design
Anne DiNardo interviewed Susan B. Frampton, president of Planetree Inc.last week in Healthcare Design, “[Frampton is] busy working with the National Quality Forum to pilot a Patient Passport program, which allows patients to share information with caregivers, such as the people in their support system and any barriers to health. “It becomes a document that can encourage a different kind of conversation between a doctor and patient,” she says. It’s one of several tools that Frampton wants to use to help change the conversation about healthcare and close the gap in designing better healing environments. In this interview with Healthcare Design, Frampton talks about the evolution of design, the challenges of moving to a value-based system, and the importance of moving beyond patient-centric care.” Click here to view the full interview.
5. Interview: PCORI Perspectives on Pragmatic Research and Patient Engagement
In a videotaped discussion with the Center for Practical Bioethics, “Suzanne Schrandt, Deputy Director for Patient Engagement at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), discusses her work at PCORI and PCORI perspectives on pragmatic research and how it differs from traditional research.” Click here to view the full video.
6. Health IT Analytics: Are Standardized Clinical Pathways Stymying Drug Innovation?
Writing last week for Health IT Analytics, Jennifer Bresnick reported “While precision medicine, genomics, and personalized care are becoming big talking points in the research community, is the trend towards financial rewards for a relatively narrow band of evidence-based medicine limiting discovery by making less common treatments too expensive to use routinely?” Click here to view the full article.
7. The Scope: Health Care Insider: Emerging Trends in Evidence-Based Medicine
The University of Utah’s Health Sciences Radio: The Scope, released a podcast last week. “Dr. Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of JAMA, comments on new trends in evidence-based medicine. He notes that randomized controlled studies aren't always king, even though they're the most common. Patients want more of a say in the type of treatment they receive, particularly for certain types of cancer and end-of-life care. Dr. Bauchner provides insight on these issues and more.” Click here to listen to the full podcast.
8. The Wall Street Journal: Three Ways to Create Smarter Health-Care Consumers
David Blumenthal of The Wall Street Journal wrote a blog post last week commenting that, “Here, two questions arise. The first is why the government should be paying for studies of comparative effectiveness and costs of care, rather than the private sector. The answer is simple. Doing these studies is expensive, and the only private stakeholders with the money to do them are those that manufacture the products, or the insurance companies that pay for them. These industries have a strong stake in the results, which reduces trust in the findings. Government-funded studies are nonproprietary and available to the public, and agencies like PCORI include consumer representatives who can make sure that results reflect patient values and are understandable to laypersons.” Click here to view the full post (subscription required).
9. Medical Journal Articles
Special Issue: Comparative Effectiveness in Surgical Oncology: Click here to view.
Choosing Wisely: Changing Clinicians, Patients, or Policies? Click here to view.
Medicare Is Scrutinizing Evidence More Tightly For National Coverage Determinations: Click here to view.
Association Between the Use of Fondaparinux vs Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Non–ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Click here to view.
A New Era for Population Health: Government, Academia, and Community Moving Upstream Together: Click here to view.
Aflibercept, Bevacizumab, or Ranibizumab for Diabetic Macular Edema: Click here to view.
10. AHRQ Effective Program Updates
Interventions to Improve Appropriate Antibiotic Use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections: Click here to comment before Mar. 9, 2015
