In This Week’s Issue:
1. PCORI Board Meeting Today in Washington, DC, click here for the press release.
2. MedPAC Considers Developing Payment Policy Based on Clinical Evidence, click here to view the article, click here to view PIPC’s report.
3. Inside Health Policy: House Republicans Say Increased NIH, FDA Funding Off Table For Medical Innovation Bill, click here to view the article.
4. Politico: Can Big Data and Patient-Informed Consent Coexist? Click here to view the article.
5. Medical News Today: How Is the Quality of Medical Research Graded? What Is Evidence-Based Medicine? Click here to view the article.
6. PCORI Blog: Engagement Awards: Changes in Timeline, click here to view the post.
7. PCORI Blog: On Contracts: Strategies to Develop that Winning Application, click here to view the post.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
1. PCORI Board Meeting Today in Washington, DC, click here for the press release.
2. MedPAC Considers Developing Payment Policy Based on Clinical Evidence, click here to view the article, click here to view PIPC’s report.
3. Inside Health Policy: House Republicans Say Increased NIH, FDA Funding Off Table For Medical Innovation Bill, click here to view the article.
4. Politico: Can Big Data and Patient-Informed Consent Coexist? Click here to view the article.
5. Medical News Today: How Is the Quality of Medical Research Graded? What Is Evidence-Based Medicine? Click here to view the article.
6. PCORI Blog: Engagement Awards: Changes in Timeline, click here to view the post.
7. PCORI Blog: On Contracts: Strategies to Develop that Winning Application, click here to view the post.
8. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
1. PCORI Board Meeting Today in Washington, DC
The PCORI Board of Governors will meet today in Washington, DC at the Renaissance Hotel in DuPont Circle from 10:15am to 5:45pm. There, the Board will consider, among other things, its proposal for peer review. “The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors will meet Monday, Sept. 15, to consider approving for public comment PCORI's draft proposal for peer review of the primary research it funds and public release of its research findings.[...] If approved during the Board meeting, the proposal will be posted on PCORI's website for a 60-day public comment period that will run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 7.” Click here for the press release.
2. MedPAC Considers Developing Payment Policy Based on Clinical Evidence
Last week, the PIPC blog included analysis on MedPAC’s LCA debate, “After staff presented a summary of the policy, including a research review and policy rationale, Commissioners discussed the benefits and challenges of implementing such a policy in the Medicare program. Among the most prominent concerns, several Commissioners said that the policy could prevent beneficiaries from accessing medications that are medically necessary, and the appeals process for such a system would likely be burdensome and costly. Commissioners also acknowledged that there would be challenges in determining clinical effectiveness between drugs, specifically in determining what incremental differences would merit differences in reimbursement rates.” Click here to view PIPC’s report.
For additional coverage, see CQ HealthBeat’s report, “For the second time this year, Congress’ advisers on Medicare on Thursday delved into whether and how the so-called least costly alternative approach could be applied to medicines administered in doctors’ offices. The option would exist in cases where medical evidence suggests two or more drugs for the same condition produce roughly the same results. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made no formal recommendations Thursday. Medicare took the approach between 1995 and 2010 for so-called Part B drugs administered in a physician office setting. The policy was dropped due to a federal court ruling.” Click here to view the article.
3. Inside Health Policy: House Republicans Say Increased NIH, FDA Funding Off Table For Medical Innovation Bill
Inside Health Policy reported last week on the final 21st Century Cures Roundtable, “House Republicans this week took increased funding for the National Institutes of Health off the table of options for medical innovation legislation expected next year and instead floated the idea of shifting funds from other organizations -- such as the ACA's Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute -- and encouraging NIH and FDA to collaborate more with industry to bolster research dollars. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) also suggested NIH reconsider how it allots funds and warned the agency against funneling large amounts to certain areas like AIDS research while ignoring others likely to become major health issues. Click here to view the article.
4. Politico: Can Big Data and Patient-Informed Consent Coexist?
Politico reported early last week, “Rather than signing a long, well-lawyered form, informed consent in comparative effectiveness trials could involve a discussion with the patient, says Scott Kim, a bioethicist at NIH. When the only departure from ordinary practice is randomizing two widely used, similar drugs, doctors can briefly add this information to the conversations they already engage in with patients.” Click here to view the article.
5. Medical News Today: How Is the Quality of Medical Research Graded? What Is Evidence-Based Medicine?
In Medical News Today, Markus MacGill reported, “[C]linical guidelines based on evidence-based research are not always applicable, and when they are, it is experienced clinicians bringing context and expertise which we rely on to follow them appropriately. Patients' preferences also dictate the real-life implementation of medicine - and patient-centered care has gathered pace in a similar way to evidence-based medicine in the past decade.” Click here to view the article.
6. PCORI Blog: Engagement Awards: Changes in Timeline
Director of Eugene Washington Engagement Awards Program, Lia Hotchkiss wrote last week in The PCORI Blog, “As part of our ongoing efforts to increase the efficiency of the Engagement Awards program, we are making changes to our review process. Beginning October 2, 2014, we will review letters of inquiry (LOIs) for Engagement Awards and also applications for meeting and conference support on a quarterly cycle—January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. This change from a rolling review to a quarterly cycle will let us more efficiently evaluate LOIs and applications and get back to applicants sooner with funding decisions.” Click here to view the post.
7. PCORI Blog: On Contracts: Strategies to Develop that Winning Application
Scott Solomon, Director of Contracts Management and Administration, and Brigette Scott, Communications Manager, posted an entry on the PCORI Blog. “In response to applicant feedback, we have improved our funding announcements and enhanced our online system, yet we still receive proposals that miss the mark. Accordingly, in the Getting to Know PCORI workshops, we've created an opportunity where you will learn tips and tools on how best to hit that mark. Feedback from the July workshop was overwhelmingly positive, with some attendees saying that it was the most beneficial grants and contracts workshop that they had attended.” Click here to view the post.
The PCORI Board of Governors will meet today in Washington, DC at the Renaissance Hotel in DuPont Circle from 10:15am to 5:45pm. There, the Board will consider, among other things, its proposal for peer review. “The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors will meet Monday, Sept. 15, to consider approving for public comment PCORI's draft proposal for peer review of the primary research it funds and public release of its research findings.[...] If approved during the Board meeting, the proposal will be posted on PCORI's website for a 60-day public comment period that will run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 7.” Click here for the press release.
2. MedPAC Considers Developing Payment Policy Based on Clinical Evidence
Last week, the PIPC blog included analysis on MedPAC’s LCA debate, “After staff presented a summary of the policy, including a research review and policy rationale, Commissioners discussed the benefits and challenges of implementing such a policy in the Medicare program. Among the most prominent concerns, several Commissioners said that the policy could prevent beneficiaries from accessing medications that are medically necessary, and the appeals process for such a system would likely be burdensome and costly. Commissioners also acknowledged that there would be challenges in determining clinical effectiveness between drugs, specifically in determining what incremental differences would merit differences in reimbursement rates.” Click here to view PIPC’s report.
For additional coverage, see CQ HealthBeat’s report, “For the second time this year, Congress’ advisers on Medicare on Thursday delved into whether and how the so-called least costly alternative approach could be applied to medicines administered in doctors’ offices. The option would exist in cases where medical evidence suggests two or more drugs for the same condition produce roughly the same results. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission made no formal recommendations Thursday. Medicare took the approach between 1995 and 2010 for so-called Part B drugs administered in a physician office setting. The policy was dropped due to a federal court ruling.” Click here to view the article.
3. Inside Health Policy: House Republicans Say Increased NIH, FDA Funding Off Table For Medical Innovation Bill
Inside Health Policy reported last week on the final 21st Century Cures Roundtable, “House Republicans this week took increased funding for the National Institutes of Health off the table of options for medical innovation legislation expected next year and instead floated the idea of shifting funds from other organizations -- such as the ACA's Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute -- and encouraging NIH and FDA to collaborate more with industry to bolster research dollars. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) also suggested NIH reconsider how it allots funds and warned the agency against funneling large amounts to certain areas like AIDS research while ignoring others likely to become major health issues. Click here to view the article.
4. Politico: Can Big Data and Patient-Informed Consent Coexist?
Politico reported early last week, “Rather than signing a long, well-lawyered form, informed consent in comparative effectiveness trials could involve a discussion with the patient, says Scott Kim, a bioethicist at NIH. When the only departure from ordinary practice is randomizing two widely used, similar drugs, doctors can briefly add this information to the conversations they already engage in with patients.” Click here to view the article.
5. Medical News Today: How Is the Quality of Medical Research Graded? What Is Evidence-Based Medicine?
In Medical News Today, Markus MacGill reported, “[C]linical guidelines based on evidence-based research are not always applicable, and when they are, it is experienced clinicians bringing context and expertise which we rely on to follow them appropriately. Patients' preferences also dictate the real-life implementation of medicine - and patient-centered care has gathered pace in a similar way to evidence-based medicine in the past decade.” Click here to view the article.
6. PCORI Blog: Engagement Awards: Changes in Timeline
Director of Eugene Washington Engagement Awards Program, Lia Hotchkiss wrote last week in The PCORI Blog, “As part of our ongoing efforts to increase the efficiency of the Engagement Awards program, we are making changes to our review process. Beginning October 2, 2014, we will review letters of inquiry (LOIs) for Engagement Awards and also applications for meeting and conference support on a quarterly cycle—January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. This change from a rolling review to a quarterly cycle will let us more efficiently evaluate LOIs and applications and get back to applicants sooner with funding decisions.” Click here to view the post.
7. PCORI Blog: On Contracts: Strategies to Develop that Winning Application
Scott Solomon, Director of Contracts Management and Administration, and Brigette Scott, Communications Manager, posted an entry on the PCORI Blog. “In response to applicant feedback, we have improved our funding announcements and enhanced our online system, yet we still receive proposals that miss the mark. Accordingly, in the Getting to Know PCORI workshops, we've created an opportunity where you will learn tips and tools on how best to hit that mark. Feedback from the July workshop was overwhelmingly positive, with some attendees saying that it was the most beneficial grants and contracts workshop that they had attended.” Click here to view the post.