1. Real Clear: Tony Coelho Discusses How “Cost-Effectiveness” Measures Used by CVS Caremark Discriminate Against People with Disabilities, click here to read the blog.
2. PMC to Receive PCORI Award to Develop Personalized Medicine Research Agenda, see details below.
3. SWHR White Paper: Speeding Progress in Migraine Requires Unraveling Sex Differences, click here to read the white paper.
4. Patient EngagementHIT: Patients Interested in Telehealth Tech, But Improvements Are Key, click here to read the article.
5. The PCORI Blog: Engaging People Who Are Hard to Reach, click here to read the article.
6. Other Upcoming ICER Studies: Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Asthma, Opioid Use Disorder, click here to provide patient input.
7. Supporting Wellness: A Survey of Lived Experience and Research Priorities for Depression and Bipolar, click here to take the survey.
8. PCORI Board of Governors Meeting: September 7, 2018, click here for details.
9. 2018 PCORI Annual Meeting, click here for details.
10. Upcoming Events and Webinars, see details below.
11. Medical Journal Articles, see details below.
12. AHRQ Effective Program Updates, see details below.
PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho has penned a new blog in Real Clear Health that criticizes CVS Caremark’s use of the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) metric when deciding treatment coverage. “CVS touted its program as an ‘innovation,’ but it is anything but. Under the new policy, CVS would offer employers policies that exclude drugs from their formularies if they exceed a subjective ‘cost-effectiveness’ threshold. CVS would rely on a deeply flawed value assessment model developed by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) in determining whether treatments fall below a $100,000 ‘cost per quality-adjusted-life-year’ limit. Patient advocates have been down this road before. In the early 1990’s Oregon proposed using a similar ‘cost-effectiveness’ formula in Medicaid, but ultimately backed away from it in part due to concern that it discriminated against people with disabilities and would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
“This type of cost effectiveness analysis discriminates against people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups like the elderly because it assigns higher value to people in “perfect health” than people in less-than-perfect health. So let’s say your child has a degenerative neurological condition and an expensive new drug is introduced that can halt, but not reverse, the damage done by the disease. Your child, and other patients like her, would be considered “worth less” under a cost-effectiveness formula, so the new treatment would not meet the threshold.” Click here to read the blog.
2. PMC to Receive PCORI Award to Develop Personalized Medicine Research Agenda
The Personalized Medicine Coalition has received a Eugene Washington Engagement Award of $220,000 over a period of two years to support the development of a patient-centered research agenda that can advance personalized medicine. “The research agenda developed during the project will be publicly disseminated and may inform future studies supported by PCORI, an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence they need to make more informed health and health care decisions.” ‘This project was selected for Engagement Award funding because it will build a community equipped to participate as partners in clinical effectiveness research and develop partnerships and infrastructure to disseminate PCORI-funded research results,’ said Jean Slutsky, P.A., M.P.S.H., Chief Engagement and Dissemination Officer, PCORI. ‘We look forward to working with PMC throughout the course of their two-year project.’
“Thanks to recent developments in the science underpinning personalized medicine, health care providers can now use diagnostic tests to determine a patient’s risk of developing certain diseases and likely responses to some treatments. By combining the information from these tests with information about each patient’s circumstances and values, providers can design prevention and treatment plans that are aligned with each patient’s health goals. Circumventing the traditional trial-and-error process used to select a treatment that works for each patient, personalized medicine can make the health system more effective and efficient. During the first stage of its engagement award from PCORI, PMC will work with its members in the patient and research communities to develop a set of patient-centered principles to advance personalized medicine during four web forums, each of which may convene up to 100 participants. The Coalition will then invite approximately 45 patients, researchers and health care providers to an in-person roundtable in Washington, D.C., at which participants will translate the principles into research objectives. Finally, PMC will publish the complete research agenda in the form of a white paper.”
3. SWHR White Paper: Speeding Progress in Migraine Requires Unraveling Sex Differences
A white paper published by the Society for Women’s Health Research notes that to decrease the substantial health and economic burden of migraine on individuals and society, researchers need to examine and address how the disease differs between women and men. “Women shoulder a significant amount of the migraine burden. Migraine is three times more common in women than men, reaching peak prevalence between ages 30-39, at a time when many women are balancing work, family, and social obligations. Women are more likely to experience longer and more intense migraine attacks and report more migraine-associated symptoms and comorbid conditions. Migraine costs the U.S. an estimated $78 billion per year, with women accounting for about 80 percent of direct medical and lost labor costs. SWHR’s report summarizes current research on sex and gender differences in migraine based on a roundtable discussion hosted by SWHR with expert researchers, clinicians, and patients. The review outlines growing evidence that sex influences migraine risk, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and management.” Click here to read the white paper.
4. Patient EngagementHIT: Patients Interested in Telehealth Tech, But Improvements Are Key
In an article for Patient EngagementHIT, Sara Heath covers a new report from Deloitte that shows clear patient interest in telehealth, but that providers must refigure their strategies for more meaningful adoption. “Between the high-touch and engaging nature of mHealth technologies and new reimbursement models that make them more attractive to providers, it is natural that virtual health has become an industry mainstay. But even though there is a place for technology in the minds of patients and providers, are providers using technology to its fullest potential? According to the report, there’s certainly room for improvement. Many patients have expressed interest in digital health tools, the survey on which the report was based revealed. Fifty-nine percent of respondents use technology to request medication refills and 42 percent use technology to measure and monitor health and fitness, showing that there is a market for these patient-facing tools.” Click here to read the article.
5. The PCORI Blog: Engaging People Who Are Hard to Reach
Clover Ulrich, Yasmeen Long, Ivey Wohlfeld, and Lia Hotchkiss discuss the benefits of the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards in a post for The PCORI Blog. “...Three Engagement Award projects highlighted below have used a variety of strategies to address the unique challenges in engaging some of these populations, such as people who live in rural areas or those with low levels of education. Strategies for overcoming these challenges include using teleconferencing and videoconferencing, building trust through relationships with community groups, accommodating cultural needs, and adapting materials to meet literacy needs. We hope the lessons these projects learned can help others address their own challenges in engaging a variety of hard-to-reach population.” Click here to read the article.
6. Other Upcoming ICER Studies: Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Asthma, OpioidUse Disorder
The Institute for Clinical Economic Review (ICER) conducts cost effectiveness studies for insurers using the cost-per-QALY methodology. ICER provides guidance on its website for patients and patient advocates to provide direct input related to their experiences with the disease. Click here to provide patient input. Click here to view the topics and deadlines. Please note the following upcoming formal ICER deadlines per their website:
Prostate Cancer: Meeting 9/13/2018
Amyloidosis: Midwest CEPAC Meeting 9/13/2018
Hereditary Angiodema: Public Comment Period on Draft Evidence Report! 8/22/2018-9/20-2018
Opioid Use Disorder: Draft Evidence Report 9/5/2018 with comment period through 10/2/2018
Asthma: Draft Voting Questions and Evidence Report 9/24/2018 with comments through 10/22/2018
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Draft Scoping Document 8/30/2018
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Comment Period on Draft Scoping Document! 8/22/18-9/7/18
7. Supporting Wellness: A Survey of Lived Experience and Research Priorities for Depression and Bipolar
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance and the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy have partnered for a new initiative that seeks to understand how adults affected by depression and bipolar describe wellness and what types of research matter most to them. “If you or a loved one have been affected by depression or bipolar disorder, we want to hear YOUR voice. Your experiences are needed to discover, develop, and deliver better medical products and care services. The Milken Institute and DBSA hope to bring thousands of voices from the community to the forefront of mental health treatment and research conversations. Take and share this survey so that we can include the diversity of voices in the discussion of mental health research.” Click here to take the survey.
8. PCORI Board of Governors Meeting: September 7, 2018
PCORI will hold a meeting of its Board of Governors this Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.. “At its September 7, 2018 in-person meeting in Washington, D.C., the Board is scheduled to consider approval of a new Policy on Data Management and Data Sharing, which outlines the expectation that our funding awardees make the full data from their PCORI-funded research projects available to those who want to analyze it to generate new evidence. There will also be a panel discussion with outgoing members of the Board, among other business.” Click here for details.
9. 2018 PCORI Annual Meeting
The 2018 PCORI Annual Meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 to Friday, November 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. “As part of this year's theme, ‘From Evidence to Impact: Putting What Works into Action,’ attendees will hear about results from PCORI’s comparative clinical effectiveness (CER) studies, efforts to promote essential findings, and those findings’ impacts. We will also discuss important trends in patient-centered outcomes research and connect with colleagues to share ideas for future research opportunities that will help patients and those who care for them make better-informed healthcare decisions. We are pleased to host two keynote speakers, Amy Berman, RN, Senior Program Officer, John A. Hartford Foundation, and Mark Smith, MD, founding president, California Health Care Foundation.” Click here for details.
10. Upcoming Events and Webinars
PCORI Board of Governors Meeting
September 7, 2018
Click here for details.
Patient Engagement in Real World Evidence
September 12, 2018
Click here for details.
PCORI Board of Governors Meeting
September 18, 2018
Click here for details.
Training Course on Real-World Data
September 27-28, 2018
Click here for details.
Beyond Opioids: Evidence-Based Delivery of Alternative Treatments for Chronic Pain
October 2, 2018
Click here for details
Second Annual Duke-Margolis Conference on Real-World Data and Evidence
October 3, 2018
Click here for details.
3rd Annual Outcomes-Based Contracting Summit
October 3-4, 2018
Click here for details.
Cycle 3 2018 Improving Methods Applicant Town Hall
October 17, 2018
Click here for details.
eyeforpharma Value Summit 2018
November 7-8, 2018
Click here for details.
Advisory Panel on Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science Fall 2018 Meeting
November 30, 2018
Click here for details.
2019 NEC Symposium
June 2 - 5, 2019,
Click here for details.
11. Medical Journal Articles
Industry Sponsorship and Research Outcome: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis, click here to view.
Picture This: Presenting Longitudinal Patient-Reported Outcome Research Study Results to Patients, click here to view.
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in the Food and Drug Administration Pilot Compendium: Meeting Today's Standards for Patient Engagement in Development, click here to view.
A Qualitative Study of Patients' Perceptions of the Utility of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Symptoms in Primary Care Clinics, click here to view.
Building Meaningful Patient Engagement in Research: Case Study From ADVANCE Clinical Data Research Network, click here to view.
A Novel Stakeholder Engagement Approach for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, click here to view.
Multistakeholder Engagement in PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, click here to view.
Return of Research Results to Study Participants: Uncharted and Untested, click here to view.
Inverting the Patient Involvement Paradigm: Defining Patient Led Research, click here to view.
Stakeholder-Driven, Consensus Development Methods to Design an Ethical Framework and Guidelines for Engaged Research, clickhere to view.
The Effect of Medical Technology Innovations on Patient Outcomes, 1990-2015: Results of a Physician Survey, click here to view.
12. AHRQ Effective Program Updates
Nonsurgical Treatments for Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review Update, click here to view.
Randomized Trial of a Patient-Centered Decision Aid for Promoting Informed Decisions about Lung Cancer Screening: Implementation of a PCORI Study Protocol and Lessons Learned, click here to view.
Collaboration Is Key to Accelerating Diagnostics Access to Optimize Benefits of Precision Medicines, click here to view.
Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes: A User’s Guide Call for Case Examples, click here to view.
Telehealth for Acute and Chronic Care Consultations, click here to view.
Library of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Resources, click here to view.
Mobile Health Applications for Self-Management of Diabetes, click here to view.
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.