Private Payers and Cancer Care: Revisiting the Land of Opportunity.

Ten years ago we charted a course for oncology payment reform. We summarize what went wrong and propose ways to fix it.

Three-Year Results of a Medicare Advantage Cancer Management Program.

Purpose: Reform of cancer care delivery seeks to control costs while improving quality. Texas Oncology collaborated with Aetna to conduct a payer-sponsored program that used evidence-based treatment pathways, a disease management call center, and an introduction to advance care planning to improve patient care and reduce total costs.

Methods: From June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2016, 746 Medicare Advantage patients with nine common cancer diagnoses were enrolled.

Does evidence-based medicine really reduce costs?

The high cost of oncology is gaining a lot of attention these days. With cancer care accounting for ten percent of healthcare costs, payers are hungry to find ways to be more frugal. As oncologists, it is in our best interest, as well as the best interest of our patients, to take a proactive, leadership role in finding solutions that sustain our ability to deliver high-quality care.

Alternative approaches to paying for cancer care.

By their very nature, electronic health records (EHRs) facilitate appropriate documentation and make it possible to read and understand submitted records in terms of their appropriate comprehensive nature. Other potential EHR benefits include the ability to enhance communication, measure and improve the quality of care, increase clinical trial participation, mine data, participate in e-prescribing, and improve billing processes.