Economics of Cancer Care

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has proposed a radical new model for the reimbursement of oncology services under Medicare, with the new paradigm consisting of incentives for oncologists to emphasize quality rather than quantity of care as the greater good to the bottom line.

With the development of targeted therapies, there has been a clear evolution in the pathway to the approval of drugs by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and a rapid approval of a drug after phase 1 clinical trials, which show definitive proof of activity and safety, and “breakthrough” designation, are now possible.

Atlanta, GA—The adoption of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for the management of patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has had a mixed impact on clinical and economic outcomes, according to findings from a large retrospective cohort study.

For the past 30 years, awareness and screening have led to an emphasis on the early diagnosis of cancer. The goals were to get screened and to catch cancer early to reduce the rate of late-stage disease and to decrease cancer mortality.

Surgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) proved cost-effective strategies for stage I non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when applied to specific patient populations, according to a study reported at the 2013 American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting.

Survival is not cheap. In fact, according to the results of a new study, cancer survivors have ongoing annual medical expenditures averaging $17,000 per patient in the first year after diagnosis, or $6400 per patient at least 1 year postdiagnosis (Guy GP Jr, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2013;31:3749-3757).

Amsterdam, The Netherlands—The more a European Union (EU) country spends on health, the fewer the cancer-related deaths occur in that country, and there is a great disparity between Western and Eastern EU countries, according to research presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress.

A new analysis of Medicare claims between 2009 and 2011 has revealed that patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy in hospital outpatient settings are billed at rates that are 25% to 47% higher than for equivalent oncology services rendered at community-based physicians’ offices.

An evolving crisis in cancer care will reach a critical mass over the next 15 to 20 years without a transition to a more patient-centered, evidence-based delivery system, warn the authors of a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Chicago, IL—Routine surveillance imaging is of little value in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or classical Hodgkin lymphoma who are in remission, researchers from 2 institutions reported.