Session Abstract

Session Synopsis: Adoption and insurer coverage of precision medicine will require evidence that it improves patient outcomes. In this session, we will discuss progress toward achieving research that produces more personalized evidence for more personalized care, consistent and predictable insurer coverage of precision medicine, and next steps towards improving clinical evidence.

Session Chair Profile

M.D., SVP, UnitedHealthcare Oncology and Genetics
Biography

His career with UnitedHealth Group started in 1991 as the Chief Medical Officer with responsibilities for clinical services, Medicare and Medicaid. He focused his later work on the development of performance measures and incentives for the improvement of clinical care until 2001. He returned in 2006 to lead a pilot initiative combining clinical, financial and program management experts to improve the quality and affordability of cancer care. Prior to his work at UnitedHealth Group Dr. Newcomer practiced medical oncology in Minneapolis and Tulsa, Oklahoma. He served as the Medical Director for Cigna Healthcare, in Kansas City and he was a founding executive of Vivius, a consumer directed venture that allowed consumers to create their own personalized health plans. He is a former Chairman of Park Nicollet Health Services (HealthPartners). Dr. Newcomer holds a BA degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, a MD degree from the University of Nebraska College Of Medicine and a Masters of Health Administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His clinical training included an internal medicine residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a medical oncology fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Talk

What is The Standard of Care for Personalized Medicine?
Dr. Newcomer discusses the unresolved issues for coverage in the personalized medicine arena with a focus on testing standards for genomics, developing criteria for observational series and the difference between a systematic strategy versus a collection of examples.