Policy Matters:  A monthly newsletter   for Duke Faculty and Staff from the
Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
Policy Matters:  October 2016
Announcements
Washington, DC Office Welcomes New Research Staff
This month two new staff joined the Payment Delivery Reform group, under the direction of Rob Saunders:
  • Will Bleser, PhD, Research Associate
  • Mark Japinga, Senior Research Assistant

Read the full story
Applications Now Open:  2017 Duke LEADER Program
On April 18-20, 2017 the Office for Faculty Development will host the 8th annual Duke course on Leadership Development for Researchers (LEADER). This 3-day interactive learning program is designed to equip early career faculty with the professional competencies to effectively lead successful scientific research enterprises. Applications are available now and are open to all early career faculty. Course goals include:  
  • Develop skills to lead effective and successful scientific laboratories or research programs
  • Promote collaboration with peers, senior investigators, and research staff
  • Foster innovation and teamwork
  • Discover and develop leadership skills to increase personal and team productivity
  • Learn to manage conflict with confidence
Events
November 9, 2016 - CSIS Headquarters, Washington, DC
U.S. - India Innovation Forum focused on Innovation in Health Care
Recent News
Competencies and Tools to Shift Payments from Volume to Value
As part of the Vital Directions in Health Care initiative of the National Academy of Medicine, Mark McClellan and former Governor Michael O. Leavitt have authored a viewpoint on how organizations can shift from volume to value in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. McClellan and David Feinberg also co-authored More Value From Payment Reform in Health Care and Biomedical Innovation.

The entire set of Vital Directions viewpoints can be read online in JAMA.
Editorial Compares International Experiences in Risk-Benefit Analysis for Regulatory Decision
In a guest editorial in Value in Health, Shelby Reed of Duke Clinical Research Institute and Gabriela Lavezzari of Duke-Margolis provide an overview of the international regulatory experience in quantitative risk-benefit analysis.
Copay Assistance for Expensive Drugs Raises Costs
In a commentary published October 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Duke-Margolis' Peter Ubel and Memorial Sloan Kettering's Peter Bach, argue that copay assistance raises costs for everyone. Read More.
Awards and Honors
Mark McClellan gave the Keynote address at the ACO & Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition on October 21 in Philadelphia.  Read more in the American Journal of Managed Care.

November 3, Greg Daniel will be an invited speaker at the Value Based Contracting meeting at the Pew Charitable Trusts and November 4 he will give the keynote at the Partnership for Public Services' Analytical Validation Workshop.

Zeena Johar presented at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs Annual Conference in Leesburg, VA (Sept. 26-28) on "Financial Fitness: Investing in Healthcare Small and Growing Businesses". Read more about her experience at Innovations in Healthcare.
Did you know?
The American Journal of Health Economics is Based at Duke University
It is the official journal of the American Society of  Health Economists (ASHE). Frank Sloan, PhD, the J. Alexander McMahon Professor of Health Policy and Management, Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences serves as the journal's Editor in Chief. Professor Sloan recently received the Victor Fuchs Award from ASHE for his contributions to the field. The journal is quarterly and is published by MIT Press.

Dr. Sloan notes, "To date, we have received only one submission from Duke faculty. The journal is now three years old. We are now accepting papers for the February 2018 issue."  Papers must have economic and health content.  For more information, see the Journal's web site or contact Professor Sloan.
Funded Projects
Evaluating monitoring tools for measuring quality-of-care in health centers in India  
Duke-Margolis and Innovations in Healthcare recently signed a project with Gates Foundation, India. Led by Krishna Udayakumar and Zeena Johar, the three-month engagement will methodologically review quality-of-care assessment tools of relevance to low-resource setting. These recommendations will guide monitoring practices at Gates Foundation India for their flagship Nurse Mentoring program, that trains nurses in government health facilities in the poorest States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Gates Foundation in these two States primarily focuses on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health.
Policy Impact
A Call for Collaborative Action: Achieving Readiness for a Value Payment World
Governor Michael Leavitt and Duke-Margolis Director Mark McClellan co-chair the Accountable Care Learning Collective.  Read their Call for Collaborative Action:  Achieving Readiness for a Value Payment World.
Invited Briefings
Mark McClellan has been invited to testify at the Alliance for Health Reform's Senate Briefing on Prescription Drug Prices on October 26.

Greg Daniel has been invited to testify at the MDUFA (Medical Device User Fee Amendments) Public Hearing at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on November 2.
Submissions Welcome!
News and Events?  Awards and Honors?  Policy Impact?  Op Eds?  We're looking for ways to highlight your accomplishments.  The deadline for the next issue of Policy Matters is November 22.  Email submissions to dukemargolis@duke.edu.