More on Report from Pioneer Institute on QALY

Pharmaphorum in a recent report highlights a new analysis by the Pioneer Institute that suggests the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s (ICER) quality-adjusted life year (QALY) methodology violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“QALY has the potential to unlawfully discriminate against disabled or chronically ill persons who may never experience full restoration to a certain quality of life defined by QALY,” the report states. “Consequently, the QALY methodology may cause Medicaid programs to have a disparate impact, or discriminatory effect, on disabled persons. Disparate impact could stem from QALY assigning lower values to treatments for disabilities; thus, rendering them less available to those whom they benefit.”

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