The National Health Council (NHC) recently wrote a letter to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) to encourage the organization to further expand ways for patients to be engaged.
NHC officials said that ICER has made significant efforts of late to better how patients are included in improving the value behind health care treatments and interventions.
In the letter, the NHC outlines specific ways that ICER can improve its collaborative process between professionals and patients.
“Understanding and defining the value of health care treatments and interventions has become a national priority,” NHC officials said in the letter. “The patient community is eager to take part in the value discussion. Patient perspectives on value can differ significantly from other groups such as clinicians and payers. These perspectives often integrate considerations beyond clinical outcomes and cost, such as a treatment’s ability to help patients achieve personal goals.”
ICER previously identified four high-priority issues for patients, like the values of interventions, cost-effectiveness ratios and short-term budgets. The NHC requests that the organization continue to add specifics and solutions for these high-priority issues. The sooner these concerns are resolved, the more progress health professionals can make as they offer patients treatment and prevention options.
