News
Discern Health Clients Gather to Take on Tough Issues
September 2020
On Tuesday, September 22nd, Discern hosted its third annual client convening to discuss mutual opportunities and challenges related to quality measures and value-based care. More than 40 individuals representing 25 life sciences organizations participated in the event. This year’s convening was fully virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. Participants still had the ability to interact…
W2O Relaunches the Redeeming Value Podcast
September 2020
The W2O Value and Access Communications team is (re)launching its “Redeeming Value” podcast with an emphasis on bringing the voices of those driving the conversation to your earbuds. This month, we dipped our toe into the audio waters, speaking with Jason Buxbaum, the first author on this month’s critical Health Affairs paper and a Harvard…
Olamide Adebowale Brings EHR Integration Experience to Discern Health
September 2020
Olamide Adebowale, MPH, recently joined Discern Health as a Project Analyst. In this role, she supports client projects through the implementation of value-based processes. Olamide leverages her public health training and background in community health programming to promote equity in health care while enabling the delivery of quality, cost-effective care. Prior to joining Discern, Olamide…
Discern Health Investigates Care Coordination for Multiple Myeloma
August 2020
In a new article in the Journal of Clinical Pathways, Discern Health Partner Tom Valuck, Director David Blaisdell, and co-authors from Tennessee Oncology, Cardinal Health, and Bristol Myers Squibb investigate how a large US community oncology practice views quality in multiple myeloma (MM) care, perceived gaps in care, and potential solutions and measurement opportunities. This…
Manasi Tirodkar Assesses Cancer Patient Care Experiences in Outpatient Oncology Practices
August 2020
Cancer patients’ experience of care is an important component of quality that has not previously been used for comparing performance. In a new article in the journal Medical Care, Discern Health Director Manasi Tirodkar and colleagues from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, RAND Inc., and Independence Blue Cross explore results from a new patient…
Discern Health Supports Comments on NQF Patient-Reported Outcomes Draft Report
August 2020
The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) submitted comments to the National Quality Forum (NQF) regarding the Patient-Reported Outcomes: Best Practices on Selection and Data Collection draft report. In partnership with Discern Health, NPC previously conducted research on patient-reported measures in oncology, and these results are available in the 2019 white paper, Improving Patient-reported Measures in Oncology. This research provided the…
Access Update: Coverage Disparities and the Consequences
August 2020
A new report by the Commonwealth Fund highlighted results from the group’s Biennial Health Insurance Survey, sounding the alarm about a looming health care affordability crisis. Forty-three percent of working-age adults lack access to stable insurance. The report also found higher uninsured rates among people of color, with more than a third of Latino adults,…
Discern Health Offers Evidence-Based Solutions for Associations, Societies, and Advocacy Organizations
August 2020
Organizations aimed at engaging, educating, and promoting the interests of key health care stakeholder groups continue to play an essential role in the US value-based care environment. Discern Health partners with these clients to pursue strategies that enhance care quality and patient outcomes while promoting organizational goals. By understanding and applying health care policy, conducting…
Discern Health Offers Health Plan Solutions for Reduced Costs and Improved Outcomes
July 2020
For more than a decade, top-performing health plans have committed to improving population health and lowering costs through innovative value-based payment models. To be effective, such models must have clearly defined measures, align with other public and private efforts, and be practical to implement. These value-based models also need to keep pace with changes in…
Theresa Schmidt Presents on the Value of Shared Decision-Making
July 2020
Shared decision-making (SDM) has been called the “pinnacle of patient-centered care” and shown to increase patient satisfaction, reduce decisional conflict, and improve care outcomes. However, less is known about the impact of SDM on health care costs and utilization, as well as potential unintended consequences of SDM. Does SDM reduce low-value care, or is it…