Duke-Robert J. Margolis, MD, Institute for Health Policy

11/06/2025

With the homebound population growing, how do we build the roadmap for better home-based primary care? A draft agenda is now available for our upcoming webinar, where speakers will explore solutions to this question. Join us on November 18 for this important conversation: https://duke.is/9/ct26

11/05/2025

Hear from Assistant Research Director Frank McStay next week at the Primary Care Collaborative's 2025 Evidence Report release! On November 12, Frank and his fellow speakers will examine the state of rural primary care as residents of rural communities face new barriers to health coverage. Learn more and register here: https://thepcc.pub/Closing-The-Distance

11/05/2025

In this new Health Affairs Forefront article, Duke-Margolis researchers Val Lehman, Kylie Brown, Wenbo Bai, and Mark McClellan explore opportunities to advance rapid learning for accountable care. In particular, they highlight the potential of collaborative action through efforts like the new West Health Accelerator at Duke-Margolis. Read more here: https://duke.is/r/w5uz

With accountable care more widespread than ever, the potential benefits of rapid learning collaboratives for accountable care have never been greater, both to improve outcomes and performance and to increase the confidence of organizations to participate.

11/04/2025

Duke-Margolis has published an event report for "On the RISE: Controls in Rare Disease Clinical Trials for Small and Diminishing Populations" that summarizes the discussion that took place, offers key takeaways, and outlines next steps. You can read it here: https://duke.is/z/mkv3

10/28/2025

Don't miss your chance to join this conversation! Tomorrow, we are gathering health policy experts and leaders across the public and private sectors to outline and discuss the vision and priorities for accountable care reform, and chart a path toward delivering better health and better care for all. Registration closes soon—secure your spot here: https://duke.is/p/3vx6

10/27/2025

Drug shortages have severely impacted patient care in the U.S. for decades. In our latest white paper, Assistant Research Director Stephen Colvill, Policy Research Associate Thomas Roades, and Institute Director Mark McClellan propose next steps that Congress can take to address the economic root causes of the drug shortage problem and create a more reliable and resilient pharmaceutical supply chain.

Building off of a 2024 Senate Finance Committee Discussion Draft, the white paper proposes how Congress could provide funding and authority to Medicare to implement a payment program to incentivize a shift to a more reliable supply of critical generic drugs. The authors also outline opportunities to simplify the original Senate Finance Committee proposal while retaining and improving upon its original intent: to ensure that patients can access the critical drugs they need.

Read more here: https://duke.is/6/mduj

White Paper Addressing the Root Causes of Drug Shortages: Next Steps for Congress Published date October 27, 2025 Topics Drug Supply Chain, Advancing Biomedical Innovation View Publication (PDF) Executive Summary Severe, chronic shortages of critical generic drugs in recent decades are associated wi...

10/24/2025

Institute Director Mark McClellan and Policy Analyst Sara Debab have co-authored a new Viewpoint article in JAMA Health Forum to outline steps that reduce clinician burnout by modernizing Medicare’s risk adjustment mechanism.

Risk adjustment is a consequential Medicare payment policy, influencing billions of dollars in adjusted payments to account for the health status of beneficiaries. However, risk adjustment continues to rely on fee-for-service claims, which exacerbates burden on clinicians in accountable care programs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have implemented reforms to alleviate this burden, but the authors recommended that CMS could push their reforms further by shifting risk adjustment to rely on key electronic health data that are already part of quality measurement reform.

Read the article here: https://duke.is/w/tdna

This Viewpoint addresses ways to transition from payment systems relying on clinician effort to systems that achieve more accurate payment without additional clinical effort to avoid potential clinician burnout.

10/23/2025

A new event has been announced! Don't miss this webinar coming up on November 18, where speakers will explore opportunities to advance home-based primary care (HBPC). Learn more about the current state and impact of HBPC, how Medicare can better leverage HBPC to improve health outcomes for beneficiaries, and practical strategies to lay the foundation for HBPC within both Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Register today: https://duke.is/9/ct26

10/22/2025

Learn more about the current state and future of the Sentinel Initiative in our upcoming workshop, convened with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A draft agenda is now available and contains more details about the topics of discussion—you can read it and register to attend here: https://duke.is/z/wdhk

10/21/2025

A draft agenda is now available for our upcoming workshop, "Individualized Therapies on the RISE"! Co-convened with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, this event will explore the regulatory considerations surrounding individualized therapies that can help treat rare diseases. Join us in DC for more opportunities to participate in discussion! You can read the agenda and register to attend here: https://duke.is/m/jxxj

10/17/2025

Our next event is just around the corner! We invite you to join us in DC for a timely conversation on accountable care reform. With new technological advances, policy shifts, and the lessons learned from the last decade, the next chapter of accountable care starts now. Read the draft agenda and register here: https://duke.is/p/3vx6

10/15/2025

A new hybrid workshop has been announced! Join us at the Duke in DC office on December 16 as speakers discuss ways to expand epinephrine accessibility and use, including in community settings, to reduce anaphylaxis-related morbidity and mortality. You can learn more about this event and register here: https://duke.is/y/x7xs