​​On April 19, 2017, I provided comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) on behalf of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) related to some new, recently proposed episode payment models.  I applauded the agency for making a deliberate and conscious effort to solicit authentic patient feedback about their proposed new payment models. Although I’ve been critical in the past, I told them that I appreciated their seizing of this opportunity to forge a new path forward on engaging stakeholders, particularly patients, in the development, implementation and evaluation of alternative payment models.

​What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word, “research?” Maybe you think of book reports and term papers, or maybe your mind goes to Hollywood depictions of people in white coats running testing laboratories. Perhaps, you think of something else entirely. 

Whatever your association with the word, research means many different things to many different people. It can sometimes be difficult to encourage people to engage as active participants in healthcare research, particularly if their associations with the concepts are less than positive.

In This Week’s Issue:
 
1. PIPC Patient Blog: Abigail Lore, click here to view the blog post.
2. PCORI Blog: PCORI Projects Put Findings into Action, Click here to view the blog post.
3.  Moving AHRQ Into The NIH: New Beginning Or Beginning Of The End? Click here to view the article.
4. Video: Susan A. Cantrell on the Evolution of Value Frameworks, Click here to watch the video
5. 5 Thoughts on Why Value Based Care Will Survive Partisanship Over Healthcare, Click here to view the article.
6. Can Value-Based Purchasing Work with Pharmaceutical Companies? Click here to view the article.
7. FDA’s Califf to Head New Clinical Research Foundation, see details below.
8. Guidelines for Designing Patient-Centered Research Initiatives, Click here to view the article.
9. CMS: Commenting Open on Pediatric Alternative Payment Model Opportunities, Click here to view the announcement.
10. Epilepsy Foundation: 2017-2018 AAHD Frederick J. Krause Scholarship on Health and Disability, Click here to apply.
11. NYT: Informed Patient? Don’t Bet on It, Click here to view the article.
12. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
13. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
14. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.