The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has appointed Kimberly Lenz, PharmD, a clinical pharmacy manager in UMass Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine, an ex-officio member of its New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC).
New England CEPAC is an independent panel that reviews ICER reports at public meetings to deliberate on the evidence and develop recommendations for how patients, clinicians, insurers, and policymakers can improve the quality and value of health care. The next New England CEPAC public meeting on March 31 will address palliative care in the outpatient setting.
In her role within Commonwealth Medicine’s Office of Clinical Affairs, Lenz serves as the clinical pharmacy manager for MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program. She is responsible for the development and oversight of MassHealth clinical initiatives that address the management of Hepatitis C, pediatric behavioral health, opioids, and substance use disorder.
Lenz also is an assistant professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Medical School and gives lectures about pain management in the medical school’s Graduate School of Nursing. She lectures at MCPHS University.
There are 22 New England CEPAC members, all of them experts who represent a broad range of perspectives including medical ethics, outcomes research, technology assessment, patient advocacy and engagement, and clinical practice. Council members are chosen based on their expertise in reviewing and applying medical evidence in a variety of contexts.
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review is an independent non-profit research institute that produces reports analyzing the evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other medical services.
A frequent presenter, Lenz focuses her addresses on appropriate opioid prescribing, substance use disorder, transitions of care, and a multidisciplinary approach to complex disease states. She was appointed to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s Addiction Treatment Advisory Group in the fall of 2015.