Title: Reimbursement Policy and Cancer Chemotherapy Treatment and Outcomes
Institution: Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator: Joseph P. Newhouse, Ph.D.
Grant Duration: August 2007 – July 2009
Paragraph Summary: The researchers will examine the impact of MMA-mandated changes in Medicare payment rates for chemotherapy drugs. Specifically, they will estimate the effect of the significant payment reduction on incentives to prescribe chemotherapy, the probability of using chemotherapy, and the choice of chemotherapy agents administered to newly diagnosed cancer patients. Some hypothesize that the reduction in payment rates will cause physicians to be reluctant to accept Medicare patients, while others argue that since Medicare is such an important source of physician income, the rate reduction could lead to physician-induced demand. If the researchers find an effect of MMA on either utilization or drug choice, they will conduct a follow-up study of the impact of the MMA on patient health outcomes. The objective of the study is to assess whether the MMA, by altering financial incentives, affects chemotherapy utilization and/or the choice of drugs used.
Title: Examining the Impact of Informational Messages on Seniors' Choice of Medicare Drug Plans
Institution: Princeton University
Principal Investigator: Eldar Shafir, Ph.D.
Grant Duration: August 2007 – July 2008
Paragraph Summary: The applicants will examine how well people choose from among the large set of alternatives in the Part D plan and evaluate whether psychologically attuned interventions can help improve those choices. Specifically, they will evaluate people’s actual choice of plan in light of the medications they use and then experimentally increase the availability of or access to cost information. They will encourage clients to explicitly consider their personal preferences (such as their attitude toward the use of generic medications or mail order prescription drug services) to see how the availability of such considerations might influence chosen plan quality and beneficiary satisfaction with the chosen plan. The objective of this study is to inform policies surrounding Part D and other policies relying on consumer choice in complicated environments.
