Better Care
Each year, 7 out of 10 deaths in the U.S. are due to chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke account for more than half of all deaths each year. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, people with chronic conditions receive 56%of recommended preventive health services. Improving the quality and delivery of health care will improve the quality of life for the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities in this country.
Comparative Effectiveness
Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is the concept of evaluating evidence on the relative medical benefits and costs of various treatments to identify the most effective one for any given diagnosis. The National Health Council has advocated for conducting CER in a way that is transparent and involves input from the patient community during every step of the process. Furthermore, we have advocated for the scope of CER to expand beyond drugs and devices to include various delivery models. The health care reform package signed into law in March 2010 includes many of the provisions that the NHC had requested.
Click here to read NHC letters of support and position statements.
Biosimilars
Biological medicines, known as biologics, are products derived from living cells and tissues and offer great promise in treating, managing, and even curing many chronic diseases. Biologics are proteins that are “designed” based on the knowledge of how proteins work in our bodies, and proteins are based on the body’s DNA or genetic code. Created a list of Values to Ensure Patient-Centered Biosimilars Legislation to guide the organization as it works on biologics legislation. As patents for the original biologics begin to expire, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms are trying to discover how to create similar versions of the biologic therapies, known as biosimilars.
Because of the increased time and expense to develop biologics, the NHC has advocated added patent life for such discoveries. We have also advocated for additional data exclusivity for biologics that meet certain societal goals such as being the first treatment developed for a particular condition. The health care reform legislation signed into law March 2010 included provisions for a biosimilar pathway, and twelve years of data exclusivity.
Changing the Health Care Delivery System
According to a 2006 statement from the Rand Corporation, American adults receive just 55 percent of recommended care. To provide true value in health care, there must be a confluence of health research and personal circumstances, which include the patient's genetic, ethnic, religious, and social-economic status at the point of care. Jack Wennberg, MD, a leading U.S. expert on medical practice variation, states that to improve the quality of health care and control costs responsibly, there needs to be organized delivery systems that “must first be aimed at rationalizing care processes.”
The marriage of health research with real-world application leads to improved health outcomes and helps us to curb costs responsibly. New delivery models that are founded on principles of evidence-based medicine, empowered by electronic decision support, intake and evaluation tools, are proving to be the most cost effective health reform strategies available.
- Comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the oversight of laboratory developed tests (LDTs) (August 15, 2010)
- Letter in support of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) efforts to address and improve the care of individuals with multiple chronic conditions (July 18, 2010)
- Letter to support full funding in the FY 2011 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill for respite and other critical support programs that provide the safety net for family caregivers. (May 10, 2010)
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NHC letter and draft legislative language to the Senate Finance Committee on a proposed Patient-Centered Care Model. A similar letter was sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (July 30, 2009)
The NHC has developed a diagram that addresses the elements getting the Right Care, at the Right Time, for the Right Patient, at the Right Price.
To read more about NHC initiatives and policies visit the following pages of our website:
Health Care Reform
Cover Everyone
Health Research
Curb Costs Responsibly
