Economics & Value

Articles about real-world healthcare utilization and costs on Value-Based Cancer Care.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has introduced its conceptual framework to “Assess the Value of Cancer Treatment Options,” with the laudable objective to “assist physicians and patients in assessing the values of a new drug treatment.” As released, the ASCO framework has the potential to confound oncologists, in some instances, as follows.
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There has been talk regarding pricing in healthcare for a number of years, so the recent move by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), discussed in this issue of Value­-Based Cancer Care, is certainly a big deal, but is hardly surprising.
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In the face of escalating costs of cancer drugs, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) rightly asks, what is the value of these new medicines?
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Rising to a level of equal status with cancer providers is a tall order for patients with cancer, yet it is precisely the intent of the Meaningful Use Stage 3 proposed standards that are set to take effect in 2018 (ie, patient-reported outcomes), as well as the value-based care initiatives. Providers need to drop their resistance and contemplate the following benefits of patient centricity.
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The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) new value framework abandons the Hippocratic Oath. No longer is the doctor’s first obligation to “apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required.” Instead, ASCO’s value framework has the potential to help insurers “evaluate the relative value of new treatments” as they develop “benefit structures, adjustment of insurance premiums, and implementation of clinical pathways and administrative controls."
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Philadelphia, PA—The prognosis for patients with pancreatic cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, remains poor. The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often delayed to a late stage, which affects impact. Improving the understanding of the early signs and symptoms of this cancer may improve outcomes.
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Philadelphia, PA—The growing focus on identifying and preventing overpayments and reducing waste in the healthcare system has prompted hospitals to adopt value analysis committees to curb unnecessary medical supply spending. In 2012, as many as 64% of US hospitals were using a value analysis committee to evaluate new devices and new supplies used in their institutions.
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San Diego, CA—According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy should be managed with a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, an NK1 receptor antagonist, and dexamethasone (Decadron).
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San Diego, CA—Approved in 2012 by the FDA, axitinib (Inlyta) is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) whose disease had failed 1 previous systemic therapy. The approval of axitinib was based on the safety and efficacy data from clinical trials, which are often limited in their patient population and short-term analysis.
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