As president of Avalere, Sarah Alwardt leads the firm’s consulting, sales, and operational functions.
Sarah previously led Avalere’s Evidence & Strategy practice, helping life sciences companies understand barriers preventing patients from accessing medical products in key markets; generating evidence about the experiences, values, and priorities of patients who could benefit from those products; and assessing how health inequities impact clients’ businesses. Before joining Avalere, Sarah launched and grew Ontada, McKesson’s oncology research business that provides innovative evidence development strategies. Under her leadership, Ontada produced more than 200 scientific publications and submitted multiple regulatory filings. Before joining McKesson, Sarah spent 10 years at Humana where she held leadership roles in research, program, and process development. She also spent 5 years at Givaudan and 4 years at Brown-Forman and served for 2 years as an adjunct professor of chemical engineering at the University of Louisville. Sarah holds a PhD in chemical engineering and a certificate in environmental engineering from the University of Louisville’s Speed School of Engineering.
Authored Content
Stakeholders can collaborate to ensure the safe, ethical, and effective use of AI-based tools to bolster RWE and improve patient outcomes.
ChatGPT marked an AI inflection point decades in the making—with implications for health economics and outcomes research.
In this installment of our 2023 Top Trends in HEOR series, Avalere experts dive into Trend #6: Artificial Intelligence.
Avalere is pleased to announce the promotion of three leaders in its Evidence & Strategy and Market Access practices.
Manufacturers of therapeutic alternatives to negotiation-eligible drugs should examine their value and evidence strategy in response to new dynamics.
Avalere’s expert presentations at ISPOR described the IRA’s impact on evidence strategy and highlighted a recent study to capture total disease burden.
Manufacturers may find significant gaps between their existing evidence and the negotiation data elements that CMS will evaluate during the negotiation process.
Ahead of the Asembia and ISPOR 2023 conferences, Avalere experts discuss the increasing importance of value and evidence strategies as part of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) implementation planning.
Conflicting court rulings regarding FDA approval of mifepristone, part of the regimen for medication abortion, may set a new precedent for product approvals.
In response to IRA provisions, life sciences companies should reevaluate their pipeline investment and development strategies.
As CMS clarifies evidence requirements for drug price negotiations, manufacturers should prepare their strategies for asset development and on-market products.
The introduction of the maximum fair price through the Medicare drug price negotiation process is expected to lower provider reimbursement.
Drug manufacturers can use real-world evidence (RWE) before and after approval to advance product development and adoption.
The first Insight in this series explores timing for Medicare negotiation, inflation rebates, and Part D benefit redesign changes and details to be defined.
As a new managing director in the Evidence & Strategy practice, Laura Housman brings deep expertise in the pharmaceutical, device, and healthcare industries.
Avalere experts will discuss patient-centric value frameworks, their utility to different stakeholders, and how they can drive the transformation to a patient-centered, equitable health system at the AMCP Nexus 2022 conference.
In the latest installment of Avalere’s ongoing insight series about shared decision making, Michelle Bruno, Associate Principal in Avalere’s Center for Healthcare Transformation, describes the role it can play in cancer care.
Avalere Health welcomes Mandar Karhade, who supports healthcare outcomes research and data commercialization through innovation and advanced technology.
Join us for a live, expert discussion on life sciences industry trends to watch in Q4.
A new series explores how shared decision-making can be applied in multiple therapeutic areas to reach patient, clinician, and other stakeholders’ goals.
CMS announces long-awaited successor to the Oncology Care Model (OCM), which is scheduled to conclude on June 30, 2022.
UK-based Fishawack Health, a leading global commercialization partner for the biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and wellness industries, released the following statement about the addition of Avalere Health to its group.
Join Avalere for a live discussion on key trends in drug pricing, value, and regulatory shifts, and how these trends will impact manufacturers.
To fully realize the benefits of home-based care, including improved outcomes, inpatient hospital capacity, and patient experience, state and federal regulators may consider formalizing regulatory flexibilities, removing current barriers to participation in models such as Acute Hospital Care at Home, and testing the impacts of these waivers under the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
Duo joins as principals, bringing years of expertise in health economics and outcomes research.
In 2012, experts predicted that artificial Intelligence (AI) would eventually replace as much as 80% of current clinical practice by physicians. While AI has certainly expanded in healthcare—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—the last few years have included some eventful setbacks in the use of AI across several sectors of the economy, including healthcare.
Tune into another episode of Avalere Health Essential Voice in our Start Your Day with Avalere series. In the final segment of our series on infusing the patient perspective into value assessment, our experts discuss the Patient Perspective Value Framework (PPVF) developed by Avalere Health and FasterCures, which employs a form of multi-criteria decision analysis to capture value according to patients.
Immunization Information Systems (IIS), or immunization registries, are used across the US to provide consolidated and complete accounts of patient immunization history in a given city, state, or region.
Data-driven research presented at Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), ISPOR annual meeting, and key spring conferences powered by Inovalon’s MORE2 Registry® Dataset
Tune into another episode of Avalere Health Essential Voice in our Start Your Day with Avalere series. In this segment, we continue our series on infusing the patient perspective into value assessment with a discussion on the need for a solution to incorporating value drivers outside of traditional endpoints, and introduce a proposed approach to quantify those elements of healthcare value.
Tune into another episode of Avalere Health Essential Voice in our Start Your Day with Avalere series. In this segment, our experts kick off a three-part series about patient perspective in value assessment with an overview of value assessments and value frameworks.
Avalere Health and Sick Cells have published a strategic roadmap, intended to advance care for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). The roadmap includes consensus-based solutions that various healthcare stakeholders can implement in the near future.
Tune into the second segment of the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on social determinants of health (SDOH) data. In this segment, Avalere experts discuss how life sciences organizations are beginning to recognize the importance and impact of this data, particularly in real-world evidence value demonstration work.
Tune into the second segment of the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on social determinants of health (SDOH) data. In this segment, Avalere experts discuss how life sciences organizations are beginning to recognize the importance and impact of this data, particularly in real-world evidence value demonstration work.
In Part 1 of this segment focused on social determinants of health (SDOH), our experts from Avalere’s Health Economics and Advanced Analytics practice discuss the importance of SDOH data, how health plans are increasingly utilizing that data, and the ongoing limitations to data access.
Tune into our fifth episode in the Avalere Health Essential Voice podcast series focused on social determinants of health (SDOH). In Part 1 of this segment, our experts from Avalere’s Health Economics and Advanced Analytics practice discuss the importance of SDOH data, how health plans are increasingly utilizing that data, and the ongoing limitations to data access.
The 2020 presidential election will have significant implications for the US healthcare system and Americans’ healthcare options.
Tune into our sixth video of the Avalere Health Essential Voice: 2020 Election series. In this segment, our experts discuss how we might see public healthcare programs expand under each candidate and what it might mean for future legislation.
Tune into our sixth episode of the Avalere Health Essential Voice: 2020 Election series. In this segment, our experts discuss how we might see public healthcare programs expand under each candidate and what it might mean for future legislation.
With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Avalere assesses opportunities to normalize cost-of-care conversations through measurement.
On May 13, Avalere experts discussed key issues and considerations for the healthcare industry as millions of Americans shift in and out of new sources of coverage due to COVID-19.
COVID-19 continues to spread nationwide, and individuals with social risk factors and underlying chronic conditions are at highest risk for severe illness.
Avalere experts discussed the key issues and considerations for the healthcare industry as millions of Americans shift in and out of new sources of coverage.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe red blood cell disorder that disproportionately affects African-American and Hispanic populations. In the United States, there are approximately 100,000 individuals living with SCD (although there is a lack of accurate reporting and the exact number is unknown).
The collaboration leverages the Inovalon MORE2 Registry® payer-sourced dataset and Corrona’s platform of clinical registries to enable data-driven insights on the treatment of autoimmune diseases from both clinical and health economic perspectives.
New Avalere analysis finds that 76% of uninsured individuals lawfully present in the 14 Super Tuesday states are currently eligible for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or exchange plan subsidies.
Our annual Avalere Healthcare Industry Outlook was on January 9. For 20 years, we have helped you see the turns ahead in our constantly changing industry. This year, our experts were live via streaming video discussing the critical issues facing healthcare leaders in 2020.
Restrictive network plans comprise over 75% of the exchange market.
With the 2020 presidential election nearly 1 year away, healthcare reform remains one of the top issues for voters heading into the election year.
Healthcare industry veteran brings decades of Medicare Advantage, Part D, risk adjustment, and business expertise to payer, life sciences, and provider clients.
Cost savings and improved clinical outcomes cited as top advantages for payers according to survey conducted by Avalere Health.
Avalere will serve as the RWJF Health Systems Transformation Research Coordinating Center to meet patients’ interrelated clinical and social needs.
Avalere was recently commissioned to project how policy proposals related to biosimilars would impact government spending and patient costs, including modeling and scoring analyses created for 3 proposals publicly released by the Biosimilars Forum in May 2019.
Avalere supports development of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Care Referral Pathway, which aims to coordinate care and optimize referral practices among different clinicians that treat patients with IBD.
In January 2018, Avalere Health partnered with the Society of Cardiovascular and Angiography Interventions to launch the development of the Heart Valve Initiative.
Matt Kazan and Amy Schroeder bring unique understandings of how policy and clinical data drive healthcare markets.
Care pathways can help providers make evidence-based decisions about where to focus care improvement efforts.
The CMS announced the new CMS Primary Cares Initiative, comprising 5 new payment models under 2 programs, which will test the impact of providing considerable financial incentives and flexibility to primary care practices and organizations in exchange for significant provider risk.
Avalere served as the document manager for the 2019 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, released on March 17 at the ACC.19 Scientific Session. This guideline includes practical and concise evidence-based guidance for clinicians on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Christie Teigland, PhD, has been invited to serve on the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) Executive Research Advisory Council (ERAC).
New analysis from Avalere finds that states with their own reinsurance programs reduce individual market premiums by 19.9% on average in their first year.
New analysis from Avalere finds that exchange plan sign-ups could decline by 1.1 million, while premiums could increase by 6.3%, by 2025 should HHS finalize recently proposed changes to auto-reenrollment in the exchange and the calculation of tax credit subsidies.
Former U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire has joined Avalere Health as a senior advisor, offering his deep understanding of the policy-making process to inform business strategy.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for the 2020 plan year. The rule could limit exchange plan enrollees' access to certain brand name drugs and increase the out-of-pocket costs within plans.
Avalere experts discuss the implications for a recent decision ruling the Affordable Care Act is Unconstitutional.
New analysis from Avalere finds that over 95% of counties with exchanges operated by HealthCare.gov have free plan options for low-income consumers.
Avalere is excited to join the CQMC as quality measurement experts in an effort to further inform a discussion focused on core measure sets to assess the quality of American healthcare.
To better understand key motivations and barriers to using PROs in clinical care, Avalere conducted a literature review, identified existing PRO-PMs in use by payers through our proprietary quality measures database, and conducted interviews with early adopters of PROs. In this paper, we provide our findings and recommendations for next steps.
Narrow network plans comprise nearly three-quarters of the exchange market.
In the last interview of our mid-term elections series, Avalere experts Chris Sloan and Elizabeth Carpenter discuss potential implications on health policy.
In the first interview in our 3-part series covering the mid-term elections and potential implications on health policy, Avalere expert Chris Sloan explores potential implications of the mid-term elections on health policy. To kick off the series, Avalere Founder, Dan Mendelson, discusses pre-existing conditions.
On October 25, Avalere experts came together to discuss the latest policy developments related to drugs.
New analysis from Avalere finds that 2.7 million individuals from states that have not expanded Medicaid could gain Medicaid coverage should their newly elected governors decide to expand the program or states pass expansion referenda on their ballots.
With the 2018 mid-term elections weeks away, polls show healthcare is a top issue on the minds of voters.
Clinicians who treat certain types of cancer may be better positioned to earn performance-based payments under the Oncology Care Model.
Average premiums projected to grow 3.1% heading into next year.
Outcomes-based contracts most common in cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and oncology.
Avalere analysis finds that price of generic drugs has remained flat but the cost to seniors is increasing.
Moving certain Part B drugs to Part D, a proposal being evaluated by the Trump administration, would have disparate financial impacts on patients.
Moving certain Part B drugs to Part D, a proposal being evaluated by the Trump administration, would have disparate financial impacts on patients.
Avalere examines the effect of foundation-sponsored financial assistance on out-of-pocket costs and federal spending.
Coordinated information sharing can facilitate the delivery of integrated care to patients using both physical and behavioral health services.
New analysis from Avalere finds that the proposed rule on association health plans (AHPs) is projected to lead to 3.2M enrollees shifting out of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) individual and small group markets into AHPs by 2022.
Rural hospitals will see an average 2.7% net increase of Part B payments.
While clinicians have been hesitant to assume risk, bonus payments would result in 9 out of 10 ACOs and their participants achieving a net positive financial impact.
At 100% of the OEP, we are at 96% of total Healthcare.gov enrollment compared to 2017 (8.8M n 2018 compared to 9.2M in 2017).
New analysis by Avalere examines the impact of two market stabilization proposals-funding the cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) and implementing a federal reinsurance program-on individual market premiums and enrollment.
This past Friday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for the 2019 plan year.
Compared to beneficiaries with diabetes who are enrolled in other Medicare Advantage plans, enrollees in special needs plans experience better outcomes, after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.
Avalere has updated its previous analysis to reflect the September 25 version of the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson (GCHJ) bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
New analysis from Avalere finds that the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson (GCHJ) bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would lead to a reduction in federal funding to states by $215B through 2026 and more than $4T over a 20-year period (Table 1).
Market stabilization efforts could also lead to higher enrollment in exchanges.
Benefit designs do not vary widely based on insurer competition, except for deductibles that are lower in areas with three or more insurers.
Affordable Care Act-compliant plan market would see 39% higher premiums, while non–ACA-compliant plans would have much lower premiums
As the Senate prepares to begin debate on a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) next week, Avalere offers the following observations on select components of the legislation:
Elizabeth Carpenter, Senior Vice President, will present on July 15 at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Providence, RI, in a governors-only session entitled “The Future of Health Care.”
Avalere experts examine the challenges and successful approaches to outcomes-based contracts.
Avalere experts say use of outcomes-based contracts could further goals to improve patient outcomes and manage drug costs
The elimination of cost-sharing reductions could lead to low-income individuals facing higher deductibles and maximum out-of-pockets.
Funding earmarked for high risk pools in the American Health Care Act will cover five percent of the total number of enrollees with pre-existing chronic conditions in the individual market today.
New research from Avalere finds that under the American Health Care Act (AHCA), large states as well as those states with fewer insurers offering plans in the individual and small group markets could receive the most money from the federal government to help stabilize their markets.
Avalere experts discuss the top priorities to focus on as you navigate the new landscape.
Earlier this year, Avalere led a work group of rheumatology, orthopedic surgery, psychiatry, sports medicine, and primary care clinicians to develop appropriate use criteria for the use of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA).
A new Avalere analysis finds that approximately 8 million Americans age 55 or over who are currently uninsured or have individual coverage purchased through the private market-inside and outside the exchange- could be eligible to buy-in to the Medicare program under a plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
A new analysis from Avalere finds that individuals who enroll in exchange coverage during special enrollment periods (SEP) have higher costs and lower risk scores than open enrollment period (OEP) consumers.
Earler this month, the Obama Administration released the proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for the 2018 plan year. Meanwhile, the exchange market faces instability. Recent Avalere analysis finds that more than one-third of rating regions may have only one insurance carrier participating on the exchange in 2017.
Avalere experts predict that one-third of the country will have no exchange plan competition in 2017, leaving consumers with few options for coverage.
Our experts provide a quick glimpse into the role healthcare will play in the 2016 elections and hot topics you can expect to hear about on the campaign trail.
Between now and November, Avalere will to bring election content to the public dialogue. Our experts provide a glimpse into the role healthcare will play in the 2016 elections and hot topics you can expect to hear about on the campaign trail.
Hepatitis C and Oncology Are Top Therapeutic Area Targets
In recognition of National Healthcare Quality Week, we sat down with Avalere expert Nelly Ganesan to discuss upcoming trends and developments for physician quality measurement.
Avalere released its latest white paper on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) today in collaboration with leaders from patient, payer, health information technology, product development and research communities.
Avalere Health and the CMTP Partner to Advance the Adoption of ERPs After Surgery Across the Country
In 2015, Avalere Health and the Center for Medical Technology Policy will work together to develop the Partnership for Enhanced Recovery to promote broader adoption of proven protocols in the surgical space across a number of US hospitals.
"On June 10, 2014, the Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP) in collaboration with Avalere Health hosted a multi-stakeholder forum in Baltimore, Maryland, to discuss potential challenges and opportunities to accelerate the adoption of enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) in the U.S.