Recognition March 2016

• Henrikson at ASCO press program

• Blasi named to GHRI faculty

ASCO press program, symposium feature Dr. Henrikson’s study on cost transparency

A pilot study about cost transparency in cancer care led by GHRI Research Associate Nora Henrikson, PhD, was one of only three studies featured at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s 2016 Quality Care Symposium Press Program. Held February 22, the program gave media representatives a sneak peek at a select few of the 300 abstracts presented at ASCO’s Quality Care Symposium on February 26–27 in Phoenix, Ariz. ASCO’s annual quality symposium brings together leaders in the field of cancer care to share strategies and methods for measuring and improving care.

Dr. Henrikson presented her study abstract, “Treatment prices at the point of care: Pilot,” in an oral abstract session on cost, value, and policy in quality. The study tested an online tool that cancer clinicians can use with patients who want to discuss treatment costs. The tool provides printable worksheets that include prices for all drugs, supportive medications, tests, and professional services for one treatment cycle.

Dr. Henrikson’s coauthors include GHRI Research Associate Leah Tuzzio, MPH; Group Health Program Chief of Oncology/Hematology Eric Chen, MD, PhD; Group Health Clinical Pharmacy Coordinators Rebecca Lau, PharmD, and Matthew Alan Christianson, PharmD; and Group Health Pharmacy Intern Thanh-Hien Phan.

Meet Paula Blasi, new research associate at GHRI

After two stints as a student intern in 2014 and 2015, Paula Blasi, MPH, was recently named to the GHRI faculty as a research associate. Ms. Blasi completed her master’s in public health at the University of Washington in May 2015 and comes to GHRI with a strong background in public health communication. From 2008 to 2013 she served as a writer, associate editor, and senior editor at The Advisory Board Company.

In her new role as research associate, Ms. Blasi will continue working with GHRI’s Evidence-Based Practice Center (EPC) team to write systematic evidence reviews for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Among her other projects are two Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded studies at GHRI’s MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation: Learning from Effective Ambulatory Practices (LEAP) and a project on supporting provider engagement in value-based care delivery.