Value in Oncology

Surgery for the primary treatment of T1-T3 oropharynx squamous-­cell carcinoma (OPC) does not increase the cost of care, even for patients requiring adjuvant treatment, according to A. Daniel Pinheiro, MD, an otolaryngologist at Mercy Clinic Ear, Nose, and Throat-Surgery Center, Springfield, MO, who presented his findings at the 2016 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.
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A study using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) has demonstrated the high cost burden of adverse events (AEs) associated with the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The results were presented at ASH 2015 by Nicola Wallis, MRCPath, FFPM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ.
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Researchers in Chicago have developed a financial toxicity grading system based on clinically meaningful changes in health-related quality of life. According to lead investigator Jonas A. de Souza, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago, at the 2016 Cancer Survivorship Symposium, the tool has been validated in 2 separate cohorts of patients with cancer, with plans for a larger, prospective study underway.
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The use of cost data to inform infrastructure investments can help cancer centers move toward value-based payment models, improve end-of-life planning, and reduce futile care, according to Kerin B. Adelson, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Smilow Cancer Hospital (SCH) at Yale-New Haven, CT.
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A study of state-specific costs of care and survival among Medicare beneficiaries with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) shows no correlation between the cost of care and patient outcomes.
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On January 16, 2016, President Barack Obama promised a “moonshot” to accelerate national progress to combat cancer, but delivering on that promise faces many challenges.
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Medicare is poised to incorporate new quality metrics as a guide for payments. At ASH 2015, Helen Burstin, MD, MPH, Chief Scientific Officer, National Quality Forum, Washington, DC, discussed the need for measures and reporting systems that reflect patient care and care coordination.
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Given the high cost of care for acute leukemia, innovative payment strategies that reward longitudinal care and create economic incentives for data-driven care delivery are needed, according to Joseph Alvarnas, MD, Director of Value-Based Analytics, and Associate Clinical Professor of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA.
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Medicare has initiated several programs in the past decade to encourage value, but questions remain regarding their effectiveness. At ASH 2015, Andrew Ryan, PhD, MA, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, addressed the implications of using financial incentives to drive care quality and reduce cost.
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