Oncology

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship has submitted comments to CMS, providing feedback on the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Models proposed by CMS as it transitions toward value-based reimbursement.

When considering how to rectify the rising prices of drugs, there are a number of interventions at multiple levels that can work to decrease costs to patients and the price of the drug, explained Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at Duke Cancer Institute.

Solutions proposed by patient advocates and physicians to control costs provide approaches to valuing new drug/treatments compared with 1 or several prevailing standards of care. Increasingly, however, the debate over cost is transitioning to a debate over value.

Management of high and rising costs in oncology requires a multifaceted approach using both innovative strategies and pragmatic tools. In this article, we discuss several factors that influence the costs of oncology care.

A unique collaboration between 21st Century Oncology and Lee Memorial Hospital showed marked improvements in efficiencies, care, and patient experience.

An automated cancer screening outreach tool implemented in a mature health information technology environment can achieve cost savings through reduced clinician time devoted to screening efforts.

What we're reading, December 10, 2015: the Affordable Care Act has signed up 1 million new enrollees; Medicare patients spend more on oral cancer drugs than food each year; and the CDC found life expectancy remains at 79 years for the third year in a row.

Research conducted at the Yale Cancer Center has found that a procedure known as cavity shave margins could avoid unnecessary follow-up surgeries and save time and costs.

A cancer survivor shares her experience and frustrations with cancer care costs and looks to changes within the healthcare system to improve the value of care in the future.

Research presented during a health outcomes session at the recently concluded annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology evaluated the influence of patients’ insurance status on clinical outcomes of CML.

The DigniCap Cooling System reduces the frequency and severity of alopecia during chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

The workgroup that generated the guideline included experts in primary care, gynecology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and nursing, along with a cancer survivor who provided a patient perspective.

Primary clinical reviewers from the FDA and 2 clinician experts provided their unique perspectives on the safety, efficacy, and potential for clinical integration of 3 recently approved agents for multiple myeloma: daratumumab (Darzalex), ixazomib (Ninlaro), and elotuzumab (Empliciti).

The challenge with data in oncology is making sense of it and connecting it in a way that clinicians can make insights that inform the care they provide patients in real time, said Robert J. Green, MD, vice president of clinical strategy and senior medical director at Flatiron Health.

Results from a subgroup analysis of the phase 3 ENDEAVOR study and a phase 2 study in diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Members from the American Society of Hematology (ASH)'s Choosing Wisely Task Force presented 5 recommendations on Monday, December 7, 2015, at the 57th annual meeting of ASH, in Orlando, Florida.

On the second day of the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, physicians got together to discuss the real-world needs of alternate payment models in hematology.

During a health outcomes session on the second day of the American Society of Hematology meeting, data presented from a study conducted at the University of Nebraska Medical Center suggested that the site of care bears a significant influence on the outcomes of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Two posters presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology discussed patient-reported outcomes measures and quality-of-life indicators as supportive tools for treatment in individuals being treated for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Presenters at an education session, titled Patient-Reported Outcomes in Hematology, addressed the importance of embracing the patient perspective in healthcare delivery, on the second day of the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, being held December 5-8, in Orlando, Florida.

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, providers brooded over implications of quality measures and how they will influence clinical practice in the coming years.

An early session on the first day of the annual meeting and exposition of the American Society of Hematology, being held December 5-8, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, saw presentations on the promise of newly approved hematology/oncology agents, in addition to the challenges that clinicians face in treating patients with these drugs.

As the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology kicks off on Saturday, December 5, 2015, a lot of new clinical data will be presented, practice-changing treatments will be introduced, and new healthcare policies will be discussed.

In a study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, the authors present a rating system that includes downstream costs following treatment to estimate the real-world financial impact of the drug.

An exhaustive study published by Kaiser Permanente in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has confirmed that antidepressants do not cause recurrence in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

A study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment cognitive-behavioral stress management introduced early in care management can improve breast cancer outcomes.

A new study suggests that a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy-frequently administered to black, Hispanic, and Asian women-could dictate survival rates in breast cancer.

The current dialogue occurring between payers and providers is critical in today's healthcare environment, and it's an interaction that certainly was not happening just 5 or 6 years ago, according to Ted Okon, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance.

Following the approval of daratumumab earlier this month, multiple myeloma patients now have another opportunity to combat the disease: elotuzumab.

Relaxed direct-to-consumer advertising restrictions for drugs by the FDA in 1997 has precipitated an increase in prescription drug utilization, not just among Medicare enrollees, but also among non-elderly users.