News
Discern Staff Present A Case Study At The PQA Conference
May 2018
Discern VP Sarah Sampsel and Project Manager David Sloan presented at the PQA (Pharmacy Quality Alliance) Conference poster session in Baltimore on May 18. Their poster, “Improving Measure Maintenance Processes: Lessons from the Entresto© Case Study,” outlined the relationship between quality measure stewards and implementation. Using the heart failure medication Entresto© as a case study, the…
Discern Collaborates With ViiV Healthcare To Produce An HIV Quality Fact Sheet
May 2018
Recent scientific advances in understanding the impact of HIV treatment have demonstrated that achieving and maintaining viral suppression improves the health of those living with HIV and prevents the transmission of new infections. Further, data modeling shows that achieving viral suppression among people living with HIV is the single most effective strategy for reducing new…
Discern Focuses On Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement
May 2018
Recent Discern projects have focused on patient-reported outcome performance measures (PRO-PMs) and opportunities for their prioritization, development, endorsement, and implementation for various therapeutic areas. PRO-PMs are an important element of measuring progress toward a patient-centered, value-based health care system. A recent example of Discern’s PRO-PM work is supporting the development of a patient-reported measure for…
Discern Team Members Author Two Publications In The Journal Of Palliative Medicine
April 2018
Discern Partner Tom Valuck and Director Russ Montgomery authored two articles in a recent supplemental issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine. In their article “Data Needs for a Serious Illness Care Accountability System: A Framework and Recommendations,” they highlight the additional data that are needed to implement more robust measurement systems, value-based payment models,…
Discern Health Staff Present At National Comprehensive Cancer Network
April 2018
Discern successfully submitted an abstract titled “Measuring the Quality of Personalized Medicine: A Review of the Current Approach and Vision for the Future” to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as part of our work with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) on quality measurement for personalized medicine. In March, Discern Director Russ…
Discern Health Approved As Health Policy Contractor By The State Of Maryland
April 2018
The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) has approved Discern as a vendor for its new Multi-Functional, Multi-Award Technical Assistance Program. This action will allow Discern to bid on projects that will advance Maryland’s efforts to transform health care delivery. The HSCRC approved Discern as a vendor for two key functional areas. The first is…
Discern Health Promotes David Blaisdell To Director
April 2018
Please join Discern in congratulating David Blaisdell on his promotion to Director. Managing Partner Guy D’Andrea says, “This well-deserved promotion is based on the thoughtfulness, diligence, and insight that David brings to each of his projects. David is among Discern’s longest-tenured team members, and we are so pleased that he is building his career with us.”…
Discern Engaged In Maryland Health Transformation Efforts
March 2018
At the request of the Maryland Department of Health, a Stakeholder Innovation Group was convened to disseminate new models of care and population health management to Maryland’s health care community. Such innovations are especially important in Maryland because of the state’s unique payment model, which holds hospitals accountable for the total cost of care. The next phase…
National Quality Forum (NQF) Panel Highlights Role Of Life Sciences Companies In Quality Measurement And Population Health
March 2018
At the NQF Annual Conference on March 13, a panel of industry leaders discussed the roles of life sciences companies in developing and implementing health care quality measures, and connecting measures to improving population health. The panelists focused on the important contributions of pharmaceuticals and medical devices to achieving population health goals and generating evidence. The…
Theresa Schmidt Joins Discern Health As Director
March 2018
Discern is excited to announce that Theresa Schmidt has joined our growing team. With over a decade of experience in health care policy and health information technology, Theresa leverages a strong background in post-acute care, analytics, quality measures and quality improvement, project management, and agile product development methodologies to help Discern clients and partners achieve…
