Practice Transformation
Fifty patients enrolled in a Stanford Health Humanwide pilot submitted genetic samples, wore wearable monitoring gear and participated in visits with a “Primary Care 2.0” provider team for a year. The teams, which included a primary care provider, RN, clinical pharmacist, behavioral health specialist, nutritionist, certified health coach and genetics counselor, used data from gene tests and monitoring to adjust medications, stay ahead of symptoms and lower risk for disease complications. (Medscape)
Louisiana inks monthly payment deal for Hepatitis C drug
Louisiana received approval last week on a deal to pay a monthly fixed fee for hepatitis C medication for Medicaid and other state-funded health programs. The deal, approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is a subscription model that caps monthly expenditures but gives the state unlimited access to the needed antiviral treatments, which cure patients of the disease after eight weeks. It’s estimated that 40,000 people in the state’s Medicaid plan have the disease. (Healthcare Dive)
Evidence & Innovation
Taking certain classes of anticholinergic once a day for at least three years increases the risk of dementia by 50%, according to new research. The drugs are taken to treat a wide range of conditions, including allergies, COPD and gastrointestinal disorders. The researchers suggest caution when prescribing these drugs to middle-age and older patients. (USA Today; JAMA Internal Medicine)
Recent lawsuits against former employees of CVS Caremark and UnitedHealth reveal an undercurrent of concern over Amazon’s move into the pharmaceutical distribution business. Both companies own pharmacy benefit management firms, and both have filed suit to block former employees from working for Amazon or Haven, the employer-centric venture Amazon launched with Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan. In court testimony, questioning suggests the firms don’t want Amazon approaching large employers or insurance companies for their mail-order pharmacy business. (CNBC)
Policy Solutions
Last week, GTMRx Institute Executive Director Katherine Herring Capps joined Andrew MacPherson, Matthew Eyles, Mark Fendrick, Abby Duggan, and Sean Douglass at the 2nd Annual Congressional Forum on a panel, “Drug Pricing Policy Solutions: Public Sector Options to Fix an Unsustainable System.” Her presentation focused on expanding the conversation around drug costs to allow for a candid discussion around appropriate use of medications. The GTMRx Institute is recruiting members for working groups on practice transformation, evidence and innovation and policy solutions. (Learn more.)
Recently released draft regulations are intended to put in place key data interoperability initiatives required by the 21st Century Cures Act. Do these new plans jive with the overall vision for national interoperability set by the Office of the National Coordinator in 2015? Analysis of four use cases indicate we may be missing the forest for the trees. In terms of planning and coordinating care, for example, the steps taken so far are too much talk and not enough action to meet interoperability goals. (Health Affairs)
Comprehensive medication management (CMM) is a team sport, with the potential to improve patient care and access while optimizing the skills of all clinicians on the team. The Veterans Health Administration has systematically integrated clinical pharmacy specialists into the care team to accomplish CMM for a range of chronic conditions. This webinar gives an overview of the practice model and shares outcomes of CMM integration, as well as a discussion of the tools that support the team. (see the slides; watch the recording)
