Developing evidence-based outcome measures to evaluate the impact of treatments for patients with dermatological diseases.
Overview
The body of evidence on outcomes measures for dermatological diseases varies widely and lacks agreement on standardized measures. This absence of evidence-based, consensus-driven, and widely accepted outcomes measures may impede patients from receiving access to the most effective and appropriate treatments available. Without such outcomes measures, researchers and health care providers lack critical benchmarks for making treatment recommendations and evaluating patient progress, and payers lack the information needed to determine the efficacy of various treatments, information that is key to shaping payment policies. Given the higher prices associated with many dermatology treatments and a misperception that many conditions are “cosmetic,” the absence of clear outcomes measures could result in payers providing minimal to no coverage for various therapies, curtailing patient access to care.
Leading the Way for Outcomes Measures in Psoriasis, Dermatology and Beyond
The founders of IDEOM are confident that through a focused, inclusive, transparent, and evidence-based effort, the community will make significant progress in establishing outcomes measures in psoriasis, dermatology, and beyond. Achieving success requires that all key stakeholders (including patient, physician, industry, insurer, and government) participate in the process to ensure the outcomes will be useful and achieve intended results.