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Medicare proposes broader access to drug data
Washington, D.C.-Medicare Part D claims data could be used to identify drug side effects, improve compliance with prescribed treatment and identify whether certain drugs reduce or increase the use of healthcare services, according to a proposed rule clarifying how researchers may access information from the new Medicare program. In one of his last official acts before departing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in October, former administrator Mark McClellan, MD, unveiled this proposal for enlarging the scope of information on drug costs and effectiveness that could be useful to outside researchers. The ability to link Part D data to Medicare information on hospitalization and outpatient care would provide an "unprecedented resource" for health plans and payers to learn more about the impact of drug coverage on patients and on Medicare and other government health programs, according to CMS.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Medicare Part D claims data could be used to identify drug side effects, improve compliance with prescribed treatment and identify whether certain drugs reduce or increase the use of healthcare services, according to a proposed rule clarifying how researchers may access information from the new Medicare program. In one of his last official acts before departing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in October, former administrator Mark McClellan, MD, unveiled this proposal for enlarging the scope of information on drug costs and effectiveness that could be useful to outside researchers. The ability to link Part D data to Medicare information on hospitalization and outpatient care would provide an "unprecedented resource" for health plans and payers to learn more about the impact of drug coverage on patients and on Medicare and other government health programs, according to CMS.
CMS emphasizes its policy will protect beneficiary privacy and guard against the potential misuse of data for commercial purposes and that the benefits of research outweigh the possibility of data misuse. Part D information could be used to monitor drug use patterns, detect adverse events and to evaluate the impact of out-of-pocket costs and shifts in coverage from Part B to Part D. While there is general support for the policy, it remains to be seen how fast it moves without a strong advocate such as Dr. McClellan.
Bridging the Diversity Gap in Rare Disease Clinical Trials with Harsha Rajasimha of IndoUSrare
November 8th 2023Briana Contreras, an editor with Managed Healthcare Executive, spoke with Harsha Rajasimha, MD, founder and executive chairman of IndoUSrare, in this month's episode of Tuning in to the C-Suite podcast. The conversation was about how the disparity in diversity and ethnicity in rare disease clinical trials in the U.S. has led to gaps in understanding diseases and conditions, jeopardizing universal health, and increasing the economic burden of healthcare.
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Managing Editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, Peter Wehrwein, had a discussion with William Shrank, M.D., a venture partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, about how artificial intelligence's role is improving healthcare, where we are today with value-based care and the ongoing efforts of reducing waste in the healthcare space for this episode of the "What's on Your Mind" podcast series.
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Air Pollution May Negatively Affect Male Reproductive Health
November 30th 2023A potential mechanism by which air pollutants may affect reproductive health is by endocrine disruption. Air pollutants are made up of mixtures of particulate matter that may include endocrine disruptors, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals.
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35th World AIDS Day Marks 20 Years of PEPFAR: Challenges and Strategies to Combat HIV/AIDS
November 29th 2023PEPFAR, having invested $100 billion and saved 25 million lives in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, faces Congressional hurdles in its reauthorization due to abortion debates. Despite widespread support and no evidence of abortion-related activities, the legislative process is at a standstill. Members of PEPFAR and authors of a recent editorial stress the significance of PEPFAR and advocate for integrating behavioral and social science into healthcare programs to achieve UNAIDS targets and address barriers in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment.
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