In This Week’s Issue:
- President Obama: ‘Health Care is Always Personal,’ click here to view the article.
- Op-ed: Medicare Plan Will Hurt Those with Severe Mental Illness, click here to view the article.
- PCORI Video: A New Way to Conduct Research, click here to view the video.
- The DO: Insights on Entry-Level PCORI Support, click here to view the article.
- Expanding the Role of Patients in Setting Research Priorities, click here to view the article.
- Video: Marilyn Tavenner Explains Methods of Implementing, Coordinating Quality Measures, click here to view the article.
1. President Obama: ‘Health Care is Always Personal’
In a visionary op-ed published last week in The Boston Globe, President Obama discusses the need to move towards a system of “personalized medicine,” while eschewing “one-size-fits-all” treatments. As he explains, “Health care is always personal. As science and technology have advanced, it’s become possible to make it personalized as well, giving us the tools to better understand, prevent, and treat everyone’s individual health needs… What if we could just as easily match a cancer cure to a patient’s unique genetic code? Instead of trying a one-size-fits-all treatment, what if medical experts could tailor one specifically for everyone’s body?... The National Institutes of Health is making major investments in partnerships across the country, including with the Broad Institute in Cambridge, to gather data that could lead to lifesaving discoveries...Such a large sample of health data will help us better understand why certain treatments work for some people but not others, or why seemingly fit people fall ill… Precision medicine gives us the chance to marry what’s unique about America — our spirit of innovation, our courage to take risks, our collaborative instincts – with what’s unique about Americans – every individual’s distinctive genetic makeup, lifestyles, and health needs. In doing so, we can keep ourselves, our families, and our nation healthier for generations to come.” In response, PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho applauded the President’s vision and his ongoing work to make it a reality through NIH investments, the ACA’s pre-existing conditions coverage for patients and people with disabilities, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and efforts to advance the ACA’s shared decision-making program. Click here to view the President’s opinion.
2. Op-ed: Medicare Plan Will Hurt Those with Severe Mental Illness
According to an opinion piece published in The Hill last week by Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of National Council for Behavioral Health, “a new proposal by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) could undermine access to… life-changing therapies.” As Ms. Rosenberg explains, “Fortunately, there is a glimmer of hope. Dozens of patient and physicians groups have expressed serious concerns, and House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called on CMS to withdraw its proposed rule. We join these congressional leaders, advocates and practitioners in urging CMS to reconsider. Medications that help the people who most need our support should be accessible to all. The cost of this proposed rule is unacceptably high.” Click here to view the article.
3. PCORI Video: A New Way to Conduct Research
In a YouTube video posted by PCORI, Executive Director Dr. Joe Selby discusses how PCORnet, PCORI's national initiative to harness the power of data and unique partnerships, intends to speed research and the dissemination of findings.” Click here to view the video.
4. The DO: Insights on Entry-Level PCORI Support
As Laura Selby reported last week in The DO, “For [Daniel Pearce, DO], the [PCORI] project has illustrated the importance of incorporating patient input into comparative effectiveness research. ‘I thought comparing the two HIV support models for one year would be sufficient, but our patient partners strongly recommended two years because it takes people time to get into the groove of treatment,’ he says. ‘That kind of patient and stakeholder expertise is really helpful, because otherwise your study won't work.’” Click here to view the article.
5. Expanding the Role of Patients in Setting Research Priorities
An article published last week in MD News) reports that “One [2015 PCORI] research study examined the impact of a blood thinner on outcomes among stroke survivors after they left the hospital,’ [Jean Slutsky, Chief Engagement and Dissemination Officer, PCORI] says. ‘A traditional study might have focused only on whether patients had another stroke or side effects like bleeding — important questions, to be sure. But in this study, researchers had asked patients what outcome was most important to them and learned that they cared most about how long they could live at home without suffering complications requiring additional hospital or nursing home care.” Click hereto view the article.
6. Video: Marilyn Tavenner Explains Methods of Implementing, Coordinating Quality Measures
The key in developing core sets of quality measures is looking at coordination of care, cost of care, and quality of care, as methods that all work simultaneously together, says Marilyn Tavenner, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans. In a video for the American Journal of Managed Care, Tavenner suggests that creating a small amount of measures centered upon core conditions and directly tied to outcomes is far more beneficial than creating a hundred new measures.” Click here to view the article.
