NPC's Areas of Focus
Over the years, our areas of focus have evolved along with the changes in the health care environment and biopharmaceutical industry. NPC’s current research examines the most pressing topics related to real-world evidence, the optimal role and value of pharmaceuticals in emerging payment and delivery models, and biopharmaceutical and health system innovation.
Health Spending
U.S. health care spending is continuing to increase due to a number of factors, including an aging population; structural, administrative, and process complexity in the health system; innovative methods for disease prevention; improved speed and accuracy of diagnoses; and adoption of novel treatments. Understanding what’s driving health spending can help policy-makers strike a balance between optimal patient care and incentives to sustain innovation and health system efficiencies.
Value Assessment
The U.S. health care system is shifting from paying for the volume of services to the value of those services. While health care decision-makers are looking for ways to measure value, patients seek access to treatments that will improve their health and quality of life.
Alternative Payment Models
Within efforts to address health care spending, novel approaches to paying for care are being adopted, but there is much to be learned about how and when they work, and the role of biopharmaceuticals in their success.
Patient Centered Formulary & Benefit Design
Health benefit design plays a critical role in patient health, access to care, and larger health system costs. But health benefit design that only focuses narrowly on cost containment, without addressing patient needs or increased costs elsewhere, may come with unintended effects.
Evidence for Decision-Making
NPC research seeks to improve the generation and adoption of high-quality evidence to inform decision-making by policymakers, payers, providers and patients.
Biopharmaceutical Innovation
It is important to foster an environment that sustains and enhances innovation to ensure the continued discovery and development of new medicines that improve patients’ health and their quality of life.