World Trade Center Health Program

In Process

Creating a consolidated data center could lead to cost savings and enhanced research opportunities; however, consolidation could require upfront expenditures. In addition, establishing a consolidated data center could result in a loss of responders' clinical data from the WTCHP because of the potential need to have responders sign new consent forms to enable use of their data for research. Responders provided consent to their respective clinical centers to send their clinical data to the center's DCC for research purposes, and existing consent might not authorize the use of such data by a consolidated data center. Responders might be unavailable or unwilling to provide consent again. Although most WTC responders outside the NYC area live near a VA facility, the use of VA facilities for the WTCHP could affect access to health services for WTC responders because not all types of clinical expertise are available at all VA facilities, VA facilities do not always have space available to serve nonveterans, and it would take an undetermined length of time to implement an agreement between VA and HHS. The use of VA facilities for the WTCHP could also affect enrollment retention because WTC responders might need to change health care providers. Providing prescription drugs to WTC responders through an existing federal prescription drug purchasing program could reduce drug prices. It might also affect the availability of options for filling prescriptions and responders' access to certain prescription drugs. In addition, VA and DOD officials told us that use of their respective drug purchasing programs for WTC responders would require administrative changes to their programs. In written comments, DOD concurred with a draft of this report. HHS and VA provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.