Review of ICER Report on Treatment Options for Multiple Myeloma

Who is ICER? ICER is the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.  As far as I can tell, it is funded primarily by insurance companies and by nonprofit organizations who, in turn, are funded by insurance companies.  They claim some funding by the federal government as well.  Other members include pharmaceutical companies who apparently participate in order to have some voice in ICER's proceedings.  A quick Google search shows that the title of many of ICER's documents is "Building Trust through Rationing," which I believe is their mantra and suggests that rationing health care is their real purpose. ICER deals in statistics, not medicine, and a primary goal is to control costs.  I assume that this is why they don't want participation by patients.  They have been working on a report for multiple myeloma, and we myelomiacs have been concerned that they would produce a one-size-fits-all treatment algorithm that doctors might be expected to follow and insurers might try to enforce. Garbage In, Garbage Out ICER issued their final report on Myeloma on June 9, 2016, attempting to grade different myeloma treatments to provide comparative medical and cost values.  In my opinion this report is ridiculous on its face, saved only by one of its final recommendations.  ICER claims to have found over a thousand potentially relevant literature references to myeloma treatment, considered 38 worth reading, and exactly six Phase III studies worth a...
Source: Myeloma Hope - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: ICER myeloma report Source Type: blogs