Economics of Cancer Care

Chicago, IL—Contrary to common belief, there appears to be little demand on the part of patients with cancer for unsuitable, high-cost, low-value tests or therapies.

Chicago, IL—Hospital readmissions in patients with cancer reflect the high burden of this disease, which is often refractory and, therefore, readmission is not reasonably preventable.

Chicago, IL—Oncologists responding to a national electronic survey believe that discussing out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of therapy with patients is important, and that OOP costs and societal cost of therapy will play a larger role in cancer treatment decisions over the next 5 years.

Chicago, IL—Even after adjusted for improved outcomes, newer anticancer drugs are more expensive than older agents, said Rena Conti, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Economics, University of Chicago, at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Nonadherence to medication has been associated with financial burden; however, little is known about the association between the discussion of cancer treatments between patients and oncologists regarding out-of-pocket cost and medication adherence.

Tampa, FL—Combining dabrafenib (Tafinlar) with trametinib (Mekinist) as upfront treatment for patients diagnosed with BRAF V600 mutation–positive metastatic melanoma should lead to improved survival, but it increases the direct costs of treatment compared with other first-line therapies.

Tampa, FL—Genetic testing and targeted medicines, the key players in personalized medicine, are seen as the waves of the future for managing patients with cancer, but getting there remains a challenge when it comes to insurance coverage for these expensive tests and therapies.

Charles Kennedy, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Aetna’s Accountable Care Solutions, is responsible for leading Aetna’s accountable care partnerships with healthcare providers. Dr Kennedy also serves as the health insurance industry representative on the Health IT Policy Committee, a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health IT on a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information infrastructure.

The total annual cost of mammography screening for women aged 40 to 85 years in the United States is estimated to be $7.8 billion, according to a new analysis (O’Donoghue C, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:145-153). That is $4.3 billion more than the cost would be if mammography intervals were lowered to fall in line with the recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the study researchers calculated.

Advances in cancer treatment, from detection and diagnosis to drugs, surgical techniques, and new imaging capabilities, have collectively enabled many patients to live longer, healthier lives with or after cancer. However, a new landmark report, “The State of Cancer Care in America, 2014: A Report by the American Society of Clinical Oncology” (ASCO), identifies the many challenges that will impact the future delivery of cancer care (ASCO. J Oncol Pract. 2014;10:119-143). These challenges include an increasing demand for care, predicted workforce shortages, rapidly rising costs, imbalances in access to care, and an unstable practice environment.