medicare

February 9, 2023

Mark Cuban pharmacy could save billions on prostate cancer, bladder drugs

Vanderbilt research found that a new drug company founded by entrepreneur Mark Cuban could save patients $1.29 billion a year based on 2020 Medicare Part D expenditures on just the nine most popular urological drugs.

By Craig Boerner
Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, right, on the South Lawn of the White House with colleagues Rachel Sachs, JD, MPH, of Washington University St. Louis, left, and Michell Mello, PhD, of Stanford.
November 3, 2022

Researcher’s decade of analyzing the price of drugs leads to big reforms

Vanderbilt’s Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, and several colleagues were able to reflect recently on the South Lawn of the White House about how their contributions through research and data informed the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that will save older Americans on Medicare tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs each year.

By Jake Lowary
May 10, 2022

New study illustrates how much it would cost for cancer drugs covered under Medicare Part D

A new study by Vanderbilt researchers highlights how some older Americans diagnosed with cancer can face unlimited out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs under the current structure of the Medicare Part D benefit.

By Jake Lowary
April 4, 2022

Medicare beneficiaries without low-income subsidies were less likely to fill important prescriptions, new study finds

Vanderbilt research shows that Medicare Part D beneficiaries who did not receive federal subsidies to lower their out-of-pocket costs were nearly twice as likely as others to not fill prescriptions for serious health conditions like cancer or hepatitis C treatment.

By Jake Lowary
November 4, 2021

Study examines long-term benefit of Two-Midnight Rule

Vanderbilt research is raising new questions about the long-term benefit and value of the so-called Medicare “Two-Midnight Rule” implemented in 2013 to reduce costly and potentially unnecessary inpatient hospital admissions

By Jake Lowary
June 2, 2021

Dusetzina appointed to federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

By Jake Lowary
March 22, 2021

Chemo for cancer lowers dementia risk

Cancer chemotherapy lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders that disproportionately affect older people.
By Paul Govern
August 6, 2020

Study finds Medicare Part D favors generic drugs over brand-name counterparts

Contrary to previous media reports, a new study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers finds that Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance plans largely favor generic drugs over brand-name counterparts.
By Jake Lowary
May 7, 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis patients on Medicare seeing increased out-of-pocket costs for specialty medications

After a sharp drop in out-of-pocket costs between 2010 and 2011, Medicare patients who use specialty biologic medications for rheumatoid arthritis have seen higher out-of-pocket spending for those same drugs because of gradual price increases, a new study finds.
By Jake Lowary
January 29, 2020

Effort ensures eligible Medicare patients receive their annual wellness visit

When it was determined that a majority of the 19,000 individuals eligible to receive a no-cost annual wellness visit as part of their Medicare coverage had not yet scheduled one, a large task force was assembled at VUMC to contact these patients and schedule their visits
By Jill Clendening
November 21, 2019

Lecture explores Medicare for All’s potential impacts

The concept of a single-payer, government-run health care program — Medicare for All — has sparked national debate, and that proposal was the focus of a spirited discussion on Nov. 19 at the Research into Policy and Practice Lecture sponsored by the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
By Jill Clendening
November 21, 2019

Study finds cardiac rehab underused among Medicare patients

Cardiac valve surgery patients who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program have a 34% lower risk of hospitalizations and a 4.2% lower risk of mortality than patients who do not enroll in cardiac rehab in the year after surgery.
By Matt Batcheldor
July 1, 2019

Study shows some generics can cost Medicare recipients more than brand-name drugs

Medicare Part D enrollees may pay more out of pocket for high-priced specialty generic drugs than their brand-name counterparts, according to new research by health policy experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
By Jake Lowary
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