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Practice Transformation

Pharmacist-led patient care services + PGX = success, study finds
A large implementation of a pharmacogenomics-enriched CMM program led to a reduction of roughly $7,000 per patient for participating Medicare Advantage enrollees. It also led to a positive shift in health care resource utilization away from acute care toward primary care. The program focused on participants in the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Kentucky. “The observed reduced costs, meaningful shifts in the patterns of patient healthcare resource utilization, as well as other encouraging trends suggest that wide-spread adoption could significantly advance the goals of the Quadruple Aim in health systems globally,” the authors conclude. (Journal of Personalized Medicine)
Biosimilar insulin coming by 2024
Nonprofit drugmaker Civica announced plans to make three types of lower-cost insulin — biosimilars of Lantus, Humalog and Novolog — which are expected to be available in the US by 2024, assuming they win FDA approval. The maximum price for all three of Civica’s products would be no more than $30 per vial and no more than $55 for a box of five pen cartridges, according to the company. Compare that to $300 per vial and $500 for five pens. (Medical Economics)
HHS to test single login for patients
HHS is working with health care organizations to roll out a single login for patients to access their medical records across multiple systems, Politico reports. Twenty health care organizations are participating, including CVS Health, Kaiser Permanente, Providence, Cambia and credential service providers including ID.me. The launch later this month will set up a test environment for integrating the technology; CMS and the ONC will act as observers. In concept, health care organizations using the technology would allow patients who have proved their identity to access their health information from different systems in a single step. (PoliticoBecker’s Hospital Review; PYMNTS)

Evidence & Innovation

Study: EHR descriptors reveal implicit bias
Black patients were 2.5 times as likely to have their patient behavior and history characterized in negative terms compared to white patients, according to a study published in Health Affairs. “This difference may indicate implicit racial bias not only among individual providers but also among the broader beliefs and attitudes maintained by the health care system. Such bias has the potential to stigmatize Black patients and possibly compromise their care, raising concerns about systemic racism in health care,” the researchers conclude. Similar differences were found when comparing Medicaid vs commercial insurance and married vs unmarried. (Health AffairsModern Healthcare)

Policy Solutions

A state to watch
The Washington State House recently passed legislation to create a prescription drug affordability board. These initiatives — being considered by other states, too — are loosely modeled on rate-setting boards that regulate what public utilities can charge, STAT reports. If the legislation is enacted, the Washington board would run “affordability reviews” to determine whether a medicine is priced at excessive levels or has sharply increased in price. If it has, the board could set an upper-payment limit, according to this document. (STAT)
Aduhelm: Patients not as gung-ho as advocacy groups
Leading Alzheimer’s advocacy organizations say patients want and need access to the controversial medication Aduhelm now. But the members of the dementia community are more divided. Kaiser Health News interviewed several. Some want access and others want more research into effectiveness and potential adverse effects. One, Rebecca Chopp, former University of Denver chancellor, sees both sides: “I believe in science, and I am very respectful of the large number of scientists who feel that [Aduhelm] should not have been approved,” she said. “But I’m equally compassionate toward those who are desperate and who feel this [drug] might help them.” (KHN)

In Case You Missed It!

GTMRx Workgroup Update
The GTMRx Payment and Policy Solutions Workgroup had a presentation on March 8, 2022 from Todd Sorensen, Pharm.D., professor and senior executive associate dean for strategic initiatives and faculty affairs, distinguished teaching professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota; Daniel Rehrauer, Pharm.D., senior manager, Medication Therapy Management Program, HealthPartners; and Joel Farley, PhD, BPharm, professor and associate head, Department of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems, University of Minnesota. Together, these speakers discussed building payer-provider partnerships to produce value and also gave feedback on the subgroup’s payment methodology discussion document and insight into dissemination strategies.
GTMRx Experts Reveal Health Care Must-Haves for 2022 and Beyond
Leading Institute for Comprehensive Medication Management Shares Strategies for Improving Inefficiencies in Health Care and Reforming Medication Management
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis have both shined a light on the increasing need for disparate health care groups to align around the same mission — starting with how medications are prescribed, managed and used,” said Katherine H. Capps, co-founder and executive director of The GTMRx Institute. “The issues facing our health care system transcend medication management; however, and are really about an interprofessional team treating the whole patient for better care and outcomes. Our impressive group of members are focused on sharing perspective and ideas for how to address challenges and improve the system as a whole.”
Read more in our press release.
GTMRx in the News
While the health care industry reevaluates processes and care from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, patient experience optimization has arguably never been more of a priority for the health community at-large. A big part of optimizing the experience includes paying attention to and changing how medications are selected, managed and monitored to avoid misuse, overuse or underuse.
Read more from GTMRx Executive Director, Katie Capps, in Healthcare Business Today.
The Right Drug Dose Now Act Introduced Feb. 28, 2022
The GTMRx Institute issued a letter of support for the Right Drug Dose Now Act. (See the press release from Congressman Swalwell here.)
GTMRx’s Precision Medicine Enablement via Advanced Diagnostics Workgroup invited congressional staff from the Personalized Medicine Caucus to present on draft PGx legislation underway on two occasions. The Personalized Medicine Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), engages members in a constructive dialogue about legislative and regulatory policies that can help realize the full potential of personalized medicine. The recommendations that came out of these discussions were put into our Letter to the Personalized Medicine Caucus Co-Chairs—Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA)—on the Right Drug Dose Now Act.
Some of the GTMRx recommendations to the Caucus included:
  • Incorporating comprehensive medication management definition and language.
  • Combining PGx testing with the CMM process of care.
  • Expanding implementation of EHR guidelines, education awareness campaigns, and reporting.
  • Clarifying the definition of adverse drug events.
New Podcast Episode: Jessica Lea, PharmD
Host Katherine H. Capps talks to Tria Health CEO, Jessica Lea. As a trained pharmacist, she brings 20 years of knowledge and expertise in managed care and pharmacy benefits and is an advocate for the pharmacists’ role in improving outcomes. Her background in academia and numerous pharmacy achievements continue to fuel her passion of providing patient-centered care that results in optimal health outcomes.
In the episode, she offers guidance to employers as health plan sponsors to develop a “Buy Right Strategy”—an educational outreach program to educate employers about a new process of care to ensure medication are safe, effective and appropriate for their employees.
A Comprehensive Overview of the Institute, It’s Vision, Mission and Leadership
The Get the Medications Right Institute is working to decrease misuse, overuse and underuse of medications and avoid waste by advancing comprehensive medication management to ensure appropriate and personalized use of medications and gene therapies. Learn more in this brochure.
Interested in supporting our work?
Please contact Jeff Hanson (e: [email protected])
Join us to be part of meaningful change
Irma, like many others, struggles as a result of our current trial-and-error approach to medication. That is why we advocate for a new, comprehensive approach to medication use and prescribing. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, the GTMRx Institute and Foundation relies on funding from our supporting members. We ask that you consider becoming a Supporting Signing Member so we can continue to provide relevant, timely resources to get the medications right!
If you’re interested in supporting the Institute or Foundation at a higher level, please contact us. Your dollars will bring about meaningful change for people like Irma.

Become a Supporting Member Today

AmazonSmile is an easy way for 0.5% of your qualified purchases go to the GTMRx Foundation at no cost to you. And signing up is simple—go to smile.amazon.com and select “Get the Medications Right Foundation” as your charity of choice. If you prefer to directly donate instead, you can do so here.
Adding the foundation on AmazonSmile will help us continue to provide no cost educational webinars, issue briefs, weekly news briefs and promote the need for transformation of our current system of medication use through social media campaigns.
The GTMRx Institute is supported by our Founding Funders, Executive Members and Strategic Partners.
  See past issues of our weekly news brief here
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