The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Clinical Trials, Coursework Example

The expanded interest in clinical trials has been increasingly relevant in the healthcare policy sector and in addressing some of the common needs of different populations. This sector requires a well-defined approach to managing clinical trials in order to be successful in improving the health of many persons. The expansion of clinical trials offers numerous benefits for the healthcare industry in supporting different types of diagnostic and treatment tools for cancer and other diseases (Nass, Balogh, & Mendelsohn, 2011). These factors are critical in the development of new methods to accomplish improvements in healthcare practice that support patient quality of life. Specifically, clinical trials for patients with different forms of cancer are largely instrumental in supporting a dynamic whereby patients are able to receive support for the disease, even when other options have been largely unsuccessful to date (Virani, Burke, Remick, & Abraham, 2011).

In spite of the advantages of clinical trials, their associated costs and unproven value for many patients create enrollment challenges that are not surprising to the healthcare community; however, the Affordable Care act has created alternatives to provide insurance coverage for patients enrolled in clinical trials under specific circumstances (Levitt & O’Brien, 2014). Nonetheless, prior authorizations are a challenging occurrence that may limit access to a number of healthcare services, thereby creating new obstacles for patients who require these services (Quallich, 2015). It is important for healthcare providers to understand these issues and recognize their risks for patient health; therefore, providers must work collaboratively in order to effectively manage the needs and expectations of healthcare practice and different patient populations relative to disease states. These actions support conversations regarding healthcare matters that have a direct impact on patient health and which convey the realistic limits of insurance coverage.

References

Levitt, C., & O’Brien, J. (2014). The impact of the Affordable Care Act on clinical trials. Alicare Medical Management.
Retrieved from http://www.amalgamatedlife.com/news/AMM_Issue_Brief-9-14.pdf

Nass, S. J., Balogh, E., & Mendelsohn, J. (2011). A National Cancer Clinical Trials Network: Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. American Journal of Therapeutics, 18(5), 382-397. doi:10.1097/MJT.0b013e3181ff7e23

Quallich, S. A. (2015). The price of prior authorization. Urology Nursing, 35(10), 109-110. doi:10.7257/1053-816X.2015.35.3.109
Virani, S., Burke, L., Remick, S. C., & Abraham, J. (2011). Barriers to recruitment of rural patients in cancer clinical trials. Journal of Oncology Practice, 7(3), 172-177. doi:10.1200/JOP.2010.000158