Grant #: 75132
Grantee Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Principal Investigator: Jack Needleman, Ph.D.
Data set: Health Care Cost Institute
Grant Period: 12/15/17 – 12/14/18
Budget: $149,930
The goal of this project is to assess the uptake of BRCA testing among health plan enrollees and to analyze downstream use of health services and health outcomes post-BRCA testing to inform payers and health systems about preventive and risk reducing procedures in at-risk enrollees. Personalized medicine has the potential to tailor treatment, prevent disease, and thereby improve health outcomes. There has been increased public awareness of BRCA testing, and the Supreme Court decision to overturn the BRCA patent has improved both cost and access to genetic testing; however, concerns about its cost and accessibility remain, despite recent improvements in both areas. Using data from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) from 2011-2015, the researchers will conduct a trend analysis from 2013-2015 of claims for BRCA testing and post-BRCA healthcare service utilization, and examine trends within subgroups of patients defined by age, race/ethnicity, family history of cancer, type of insurance, rural/suburban/central city location, and state and region. They will also test for evidence of diffusion from geographic areas of high initial use of academic medical centers or other medical centers with high initial use. Deliverables will include a project work plan and final narrative and financial reports. The grantee will also produce paper(s) suitable for publication and present findings at national research meetings and other to stakeholder audiences as appropriate, including policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels and other key stakeholders, as part of the deliverables for this grant.