An article published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association spotlights value-based pricing models for drugs. The article, penned by Anna Kaltenboeck and Peter Bach, both of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, says […]
Prices Rise for Medicare Recipients Despite Fewer Prescriptions
A Health and Human Services (HHS) report released Monday reveals that despite a drop in brand prescriptions, shared costs saw a 40 percent increase from 2011-2015, according to a report on CBS. The HHS inspector general's office says the number of brand prescriptions under the Medicare Part D […]
Providers, Payers Need to Communicate for Population Health Management Program Success
Value-based reimbursement is becoming more prominent in the health care industry, and targeted population health management initiatives play a critical role in helping providers meet prevention and management goals, and payers control costs, according to a recent HealthIT Analytics […]
Sciformix CSO Lele on Connecting Clinical Development, Patient Access with RWE
In a recent write up published online on the European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, Sciformix CSO Dr. Chitra Lele identifies real-world evidence (RWE) as the key to briding the gap between clinical development and patient access. RWE, she says, plays an important role in both pre- and post-approval […]
Data Access for AI Algorithms Proves Challenging for Researchers
Artificial intelligence is paving the way for critical medical breakthroughs, however access to data needed to train AI algorithms has proven challenging for researchers, according to a Pure Storage white paper. Large data sets required for training must be read for each AI model training run, […]
Survey: Price Transparency Falling Short
A 2016 follow-up survey of 120 health care facilities found that despite a growing emphasis on price transparency, some hospitals had gotten worse at providing price estimates for total hip arthroplasty (THA) since 2011-12. According to a recent Medscape article, the researchers posed as a […]
Big Clinical Trials Falling to the Wayside in Era of Personalized Medicine
Big clinical trials may be falling to the wayside in light of a new era in health care, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Personalized medicine, in which a patient's care can essentially be customized based on genetic makeup, has signaled a shift in medical research. Click here for […]
JP Morgan’s Dimon Says Partnership Ruffled Feathers
JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon says a health care partnership with JP Morgan, Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway has produced some tensions among industry titans, Fierce Healthcare reports. Dimon during Bernstein Research's Strategic Decisions Conference said the plan announced this year to trim health costs […]
Study: ICER Value Assessments Could Leave Medicare Part B Patients Without Meds
Value assessments like those imposed by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) could leave many patients without access to necessary medications if used as the basis of coverage, a recent study finds. According to a recent article in PhRMA, one-size-fits-all value assessments won't […]
Moderate Democrats Shifting Toward More Progressive Health Policies
Centrist and moderate Democrats traditionally reluctant to consider a single-payer health care system are gradually shifting support to more progressive policies, according to a recent article in Fierce Healthcare. Democrats have largely been on the defensive where health policies have been […]
Providers, Payers Look to Find Alignment Among Quality Measures
U.S. health care spending is expected to jump more than $2 trillion -- 62.8 percent -- in the next nine years, according to Medicare actuaries. Policymakers are faced with finding the happy medium between the ability to measure outcomes and not overburden providers, a recent article in Healthcare […]
Drugmakers Taking Aim at ICER
Drugmakers are taking the fight to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, touting new data which could be a thorn in the nonprofit's side. According to a STAT report, the data suggests seniors suffering from complex diseases could see some difficulty in gaining access to their current […]
Pharmacy Times, Specialty Pharmacy Times Earn Hermes Creative Awards
The Pharmacy Times and Specialty Pharmacy Times brought home 2018 Hermes Creative Awards, while two sister publications -- Rare Disease Report and Healthcare Analytics News -- received honorable mentions. The Pharmacy Times earned its honors for the October 2017 issue in the publication cover […]
Berkely School of Public Health Names Interim Dean
Professor of health economics and Kaiser Permanente endowed chair in health policy and management William Dow has been named UC Berkeley's School of Public Health's interim dean of public health. According to a press release, Dow will assume the role beginning July 1. Chancellor Carol Christ and […]
Drug Companies Likely Have Little to Fear in Trump
Drug companies likely don't have much to fear from President Donald Trump's push to lower prescription drug prices, according to a recent article in The Street. Evercore ISI investors say the actions listed in Trump's drug pricing blueprint and request for information will amount to some savings, […]
Paying for Digital Health: Payer Insights
Digital technology is revolutionizing health care from advanced electronic medical records and telemedicine to emerging technologies such as smart pills/inhalers and 3D dose printing. Great stuff, but payers are only interested in value. Where there is evidence that digital technology delivers […]
Spending on Public Health Remains Low Despite ROI
Public health interventions have contributed to increased life expectancy and cut costs associated with disease, however public health spending remains significantly less than on medical care. According to a recent article on The Upshot, public health initiatives such as vaccines, […]
Dubois to Participate in Panel Discussion at MedCity CONVERGE
National Pharmaceutical Council CSO and Executive Vice President Robert Dubois is set to participate in a panel discussion at the upcoming MedCity CONVERGE conference. The panel session, "Promising Drugs, Pricing and Access," is set for 10:30-11:45 a.m. July 12. Dubois will be speaking alongside […]
Concerns Arise Over Possible Facebook Health Data Collection
Analysts and members of Facebook health and support groups are concerned that the social media giant could use members' private information for commercial purposes, according to a recent Huffington Post article. News broke earlier this year that Facebook may have violated the privacy of its users, […]
NPC: RWD, RWD Continue to Grow
The National Pharmaceutical Council in a blog post published May 18 says while real-world data is continuously growing, it's a complicated task to convert it from data to real-world evidence. "Real-world data, collected from everyday health care experiences, is growing in availability, and many […]
Key to Bending Health Cost Curve Lies in Policy
Health policy makers need to appeal to the business sense of cutting costs to succeed, said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the former National Coordinator for Health IT at the Department of Health and Human Services, in a recent Fierce Healthcare article. Mostashari said policy should drive innovation to […]
White Paper: Payers that Engage Members See Better Health Outcomes, Savvier Spending
With many payers focusing resources on a small percentage of chronically ill patients, a large portion of the member population remains unmonitored and engaged. Patient engagement programs that are scalable, multi-layered, and tech-enabled to reach members in the most convenient and effective ways […]
Lawmakers Seek Price Disclosures in DTC Drug Marketing
Some U.S. Lawmakers are looking to bring more transparency to big pharma, according to a FiercePharma article. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in November introduced the Drug Price Transparency in Communications Act, which would require prescription drug companies to include price disclosures in […]
ThinkWell’s ICAN Seeks Grey Literature
ThinkWell's Immunization Costing Action Network has put out the call for grey literature focusing on immunization delivery costs in low- and middle-income countries. According to an email, ICAN is looking for literature — reports, unpublished articles, blog posts, theses/dissertations, policy […]
Azar a ‘Sharp Break’ from Predecessor
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a "sharp break" from former secretary Tom Price, the New York Times' Margo Sanger-Katz writes in an Upshot report. Azar, who is anticipating the opportunity to create new regulations for the health care industry, stands apart from the Trump […]
Blue Shield Program Could Ease Costs for Payers, Members
Blue Shield of California recently announced a program which could help trim costs for members and payers, MMIT reports. The Gemini Drug-Cost Transparency Service is designed to show physicians alternative, low-cost drug options and allow them to compare prices. Developed by Gemini Health, the […]
New Data, Research Methods Provide Better Insight into Patient Behavior
New data sources and analytical research methods are providing better insight into patient behavior, which could lead to better care according to a recent Academy Health blog. Authors suggest utilizing data from a variety of channels -- including biometric readings on wireless devices, patterns of […]
Time, Hope Dwindle for ALS Patients as Radicava Stays Out of Reach for Some
Radicava, the first ALS treatment approved in 22 years, holds the promise to slow patients' condition, but the drug's price tag and access barriers are proving a complicated hurdle. According to a STAT report, the drug costs $145,000. Despite the cost, some insurance providers have restricted […]
Researchers Propose Possible Solutions to Tackle ‘Unplanned Acute Care’
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania recently published a study which proposed five ways to reduce "unplanned acute care" for U.S. cancer patients, which could help ease the cost burden on the health care system. The study, led by the Perelman School of Medicine's Dr. Nathan Handley, […]
Physician Pay Pushes 257K Annually; $425K for Specialist Pay
Primary care physicians see solid pay gains while specialists' increases fall behind
The Medical Group Management Association's annual salary survey revealed physician pay has exceeded $257,000 per year, while specialist pay is pushing $425,000 a year, Forbes reports. According to Forbes' report citing the survey, the salary on average for primary care physicians rose roughly two […]
