|
|
|
January
Update |
Want more V-BID news? Follow us:
If you would like additional information, please be in touch at [email protected] or 734-615-9635. |
|
| Federal Departments issue Request for Information on V-BID |
| | On December 28, 2010, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury issued a Request for Information on V-BID and preventive care, further signifying its importance in health reform.
|
| New research finds cost-savings in V-BID programs |
| |
Three new articles on V-BID are available in the January edition of Health Affairs.
|
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation findings on cost-sharing |
| |
A December Policy Brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation assesses the impacts of cost-sharing on health spending and outcomes. Key findings include:
- Patient cost-sharing is not necessarily effective at slowing health care spending
- Cost-sharing is not well-targeted on low-value services, and categorizations of low-value should be more specific
- Increased cost-sharing has an adverse impact on those with low incomes and the chronically ill
Read the RWJF Policy Brief
Read other V-BID publications |
| Department of Labor answers FAQ on V-BID in health reform |
| |
The Department of Labor published answers to Frequently Asked Questions about implementing the market reform provisions of the newly passed health reform law. The first answer on V-BID in preventive care specifies that health plans can steer patients towards preventive care in a higher-value setting (such as a surgery center) with no co-payment, and steer patients away from another setting (such as a hospital) by charging a co-payment. Accommodations should be made to waive the co-payment for individuals that require an alternative setting for medial reasons.
|
| Role for V-BID in cancer treatment |
| |
Research presented by Columbia University researchers at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that increasing co-payments for vital breast cancer medications made patients more likely to discontinue use.
Alfred Nugut, MD, said "While high co-payments have been shown to reduce compliance for other drugs, this is the first study to show an impact on such a crucial drug where mortality can be so directly at stake."
Dawn Hershman, MD, said that based on these findings "future public policy efforts should be directed toward reducing financial constraints as a means of increasing the complete use of these life-saving medications."
Read more about how V-BID programs focus on reducing barriers to these types of high-value treatments.
|
| Margaret O'Kane, NCQA, on V-BID as a tool for boosting quality |
| |
Margaret O'Kane, President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), said that "value is essential... it's no longer just nice to have," during her keynote speech at the NCQA annualy policy conference in December. O'Kane further notes V-BID as a way that health plans can boost quality.
|
| Other V-BID News |
| |
Reuters, December 7: V-BID success: When Massachusetts lowered barriers to smoking cessation treatment, more smokers quit, heart attacks decreased, and cost savings were achieved. LA Times, January 3: "Incentives can encourage good health and align the interests of the patient with those of the insurer and the employer." Read more about how V-BID programs help lower barriers to 'high-value' treatments for these and other conditions. |
|
|
|
|
|
|