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Coverage of Certain Demonstration Projects under Medicare Modernization Act CMS Research Presentations at AcademyHealth 2004 The Medicare Replacement Drug Demonstration Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) Data for Medicare Prescription Drug Plans View CMS Chart Series Need Data? ResDAC offers help in finding and using CMS data. |
Cancer Prevention and Treatment Demonstration for Ethnic and Racial Minorities
Section 122 of the December 2000 BIPA legislation, entitled Cancer Prevention and Treatment Demonstration for Ethnic and Racial Minorities, requires the Secretary of the DHHS to evaluate best practices, and design, implement and evaluate demonstration projects for targeted ethnic and racial minorities. As Congressionally mandated, these demonstration projects will be designed around new and innovative intervention models that improve health, clinical outcomes, satisfaction, quality of life, and appropriate use of Medicare-covered services. The purpose of these demonstration projects is to reduce disparities in cancer prevention and treatment for African American, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaskan Native beneficiary populations living in both urban and rural communities. Congress legislated $25 million of Medicare trust fund monies for this project.
During the initial phase of this project, the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University was contracted to conduct a thorough review and synthesis of evidence/best practices about models that promote primary and secondary prevention interventions among the targeted ethnic and racial minority populations. The contractor sought to identify promising evidence-based intervention models of cancer prevention, detection and comprehensive care that have a high probability of reducing risk factors, increasing use of Medicare-covered services, and improving health and cancer-related outcomes for underserved Medicare beneficiaries.
The resulting evidence report is a systematic review and compilation of epidemiological
and intervention research on race/ethnicity and cancer disparities in elders,
and case studies of emerging models and innovative programs targeting cancer
control in traditionally underserved communities. Key findings of the research
indicate:
- Emerging models address cancer/health disparities at all levels by combining operational enhancements and healthcare facilitators.
- The need for tailored health risk management services that help individuals reduce lifestyle risk factors, maintain a usual source of care, and access appropriate Medicare benefits and services. Community-centered, culturally tailored programs can increase primary prevention, screening adherence, and screening-to-diagnosis facilitation.
- Healthcare facilitators (e.g., community health workers, health aides, case coordinators, etc.) are effective support agents who can provide culturally tailored health risk management services as a strategy for engaging elders of color in appropriate cancer prevention, detection and treatment behaviors.
CMS is currently working on Phase 2 which involves the solicitation of sites to participate in a randomized controlled trial testing promising models and approaches for delivering cancer prevention, screening, and treatment services to the targeted racial and ethnic populations. The results of Phase 2 will be reported to Congress two years after the implementation of these demonstrations.
CMS plans to widely disseminate the findings generated from both phases of this project with the aim of promoting and implementing effective interventions that help eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in cancer health outcomes.
