The disparity is greater for breast cancer patients - elderly women make up 44 percent of breast cancer patients, but only 1.6 percent of women over the age of 65 are in clinical trials for the disease. Scientists believe that higher participation in clinical trials could lead to faster development of therapies, as it often takes between three and five years to enroll enough participants in a clinical trial to make the results scientifically valid and statistically meaningful. Current Medicare reimbursement policies often discourage seniors from participating in clinical trials. Because clinical trial investigators cannot guarantee that Medicare will pay for the care associated with participation in their clinical trial, seniors considering whether to enter these trials must assume that they may be responsible for costs simply because they are participating in a clinical trial. In addition, investigators and research centers are often reluctant to recruit them because of the uncertainty of Medicare reimbursement.
Increased participation is likely to have significant rewards.
Striking progress made in treating and curing pediatric cancers was largely possible because of widespread participation in clinical trials. Revise Medicare program guidance to explicitly authorize payment for routine patient care costs associated with clinical trials. Launch activities to increase beneficiary awareness of the new coverage option. HHS will launch an effort to educate beneficiaries and providers about this policy change, including adding information on clinical trial coverage to the Medicare handbook and posting information on their website. Establish a tracking system for Medicare payments.