In an interview with the American Journal of Managed Care, Dr. Darius Lakdawalla said the varying perceptions of value by different stakeholders requires better representation.
“I think that there is sort of a central premise of value framework, many value frameworks at least, that there is a single value that is inherent to a medical technology, and I don’t think that’s quite right,” Lakdawalla said.
Lakdawalla is the quintiles chair of Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California.
According to a Health Affairs blog post, any product of the current health care debate, whether it’s a complete overhaul of the Affordable Care Act or tweaks to it, will “likely require that patients make decisions about what constitutes value.”
“As we define value — and much work remains to be done in that area — be sure that value assessments adopt the patient perspective,” according to the post. “Second, … we have to communicate these findings to the people making decisions in ways that facilitate value-based, shared decision making between patients and providers.”
Lakdawalla said it’s vital providers fully understand value as they counsel patients or “respond directly to financial incentives int he context of … an accountable care organization.”
