Today, FasterCures hosted a webinar to discuss how reimbursement decisions impact innovations needed to improve health.

The discussion helped provide the medical research community with a fundamental understanding of the evolving coverage landscape. An expert panel outlined the basics of health care plan coverage policies, alternative payment models and evidence-based performance measurements.

Margaret Anderson, Executive Director of FasterCures, kicked off the webinar by posing two critical questions – who should determine value and what should inform these decisions?

Dean Rosen of Breakaway Policy Strategies pointed out that there has been a slowdown in healthcare costs in recent years, but there has been a move to value-based payment and delivery models, which was accelerated through the Affordable Care Act.

Brian Rosen (no relation to Dean) of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society focused on the role and perspective of patients. He emphasized that there has been a trend of cost-shifting to patients, but that the healthcare community needs a better understanding of the value of innovation to patients.

FasterCures pointed out that even if we are successful at getting new treatments through the R&D and approval process, the question remains whether payers – including the federal government – will be willing to pick up the tab for them. The medical research community – including patient groups – have a critical role to play in fostering a reimbursement environment that fosters innovation and ensures that life-saving therapies are accessible to patients.

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