The Department studies population-level use and costs of medications in the United States, particularly around specialty drug pricing, implications for patients, and Medicare policy.
Study findings have informed policy changes, including most recently in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which will eventually cap out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare benificiaries. This landmark legislation is a great example of the Department faculty’s focus on improving patient access to high-priced drugs and contributed to the evidence base for the role of drug costs on patient access.
Ingram Professor of Cancer Research Stacie Dusetzina, Ph.D., has spent the better part of a decade studying this issue closely, focus on pricing of and access to high-priced specialty drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Part D — the primary source of prescription drug coverage for seniors in the U.S. — requires very high out-of-pocket spending when starting most specialty drugs, which may mean that patients never start treatment or have long delays between when they receive a prescription from their doctor and when they fill their medication.
Using electronic health record data across several health systems in the U.S. combined with Medicare administrative claims, Dr. Dusetzina studies the uptake of specialty drugs and downstream health impacts from care delays. This work was instrumental in the development of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Dr. Dusetzina has been recognized for her work at a national level, including numerous research awards and invitations to present at major conferences on the issue. She was appointed Commissioner of MedPAC, the committee that advises Congress on Medicare policy and payment, in 2021. In addition, she has appeared in major news outlets, podcasts and television regarding proposals to cap out-of-pocket spending on Medicare Part D.
