CHOICE faculty member Beth Devine and CHOICE PhD student Shuxian Chen led an invited workshop last month at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus Meeting in Orlando Florida.
There, they presented their newly developed framework and tool that guides users in evaluating real world evidence (RWE) to inform health technology adoption decisions – the CHOICE “Real-world Evidence Assessments and Needs Guidance (REAdi) Tool.”
The tool integrates aspects of the formal systematic review process with concepts used in formulary decision-making. It is presented in REDCap, a secure web application widely used in academic settings for building and managing online surveys and databases. (https://www.project-redcap.org/) To guide each adoption decision, the user steps through three phases of evaluation using the tool. In Phase 1, the user defines the RWE question of interest by specifying the population, intervention, comparator, outcome(s), timing, and setting (PICOTS). The results are presented as a PubMed search query, with the user then executes to identify studies of interest. InPhase 2a, the user rates the quality of each identified study, using validated, publically available quality rating tools that are embedded in the web-based REAdi Tool. In Phase 2b, the user rates the strength of the body of evidence in support of each outcome. In Phase 3, using a checklist of practical questions (e.g. applicability, sufficiency, feasibility, affordability), the user is guided to the adoption decision. The tool-tasks conclude with a list of possible coverage approaches (e.g. prior authorization, guidelines, performance-based risk-sharing).
Joining Beth and Shuxian in creating the framework and tool were CHOICE faculty members Anirban Basu, Aasthaa Bansal, and Josh Carlson. Collaborating partners were Sophia Yun and John Watkins from Premera. Sophia Yun, ’15, and Jennifer Graff of the National Pharmaceutical Council joined Beth and Shuxian as presenters at Nexus. Graduate student, Jamie Ta, assisted in managing the breakout session where attendees practiced using the tool.
Feedback offered by attendees suggests the REAdi framework and tool will be useful in guiding payers in making formulary decisions. The tool is currently undergoing extensive user testing using timely and relevant drugs being considered for formulary adoption. The tool can be accessed here – check it out! https://sop.washington.edu/choice/research/research-projects/the-readi-tool/.
This work was supported through unrestricted funds from a consortium of twelve biomedical companies that are members of the School of Pharmacy’s Corporate Advisory Board.