Boston, MA—The Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS) is a safety initiative developed jointly by the American Society for Radiation Oncology and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, mainly in response to a scathing report of serious radiation errors published in the New York Times in 2010. At the 2014 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Suzanne B. Evans, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, discussed the initiative, which was launched in June 2014.
Boston, MA—Excess use of chemotherapy at the end of life has been a major quality and cost concern for the past decade. A new study reported at the 2014 ASCO Quality Care Symposium surprisingly showed low use of oral chemotherapy in the last months of life and a decline in oral chemotherapy as patients approached death. In this study, in the last 30 days of life, roughly 19% of patients received intravenous (IV) chemotherapy compared with only 5% of patients who received oral chemotherapy.
Boston, MA—A patient-reported outcomes study demonstrated that 20% to 45% of patients treated at community cancer centers did not get advice or adequate help for managing common symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and emotional distress. Another important finding of the PROSSES study is that the quality improvement registry-­based Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) method for assessing patient-reported outcomes is useful in clinical practice and led to improved cancer care at the 17 participating community cancer centers. The results were presented at the 2014 ASCO Quality Care Symposium.
Boston, MA—Results of a new study show that the care setting, whether an academic hospital or a community center, does not affect the cost of colon cancer care or the duration of overall survival (OS). The study was presented at the 2014 ASCO Quality Care Symposium.
Boston, MA—The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign has the potential to rein in healthcare costs and improve patient care. Each year since 2012, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has listed 5 tests or interventions that should not be used routinely in clinical practice, but so far no data have been published on whether oncologists are following these recommendations.
The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer Issued 12 Steps to Prevent Cancer
New Molecular Tests for Identifying Resistance to Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Lymphoma-Related Mutations
Anticancer Drugs and Vaccines Have High Value for PhRMA, with First Place in the Current Pipeline
Boston, MA—Two studies presented at the 2014 ASCO Quality Care Symposium show that patients with cancer have high rates of hospitalizations that are deemed avoidable, as well as high rates of emergency department visits. Clearly, strategies are needed to increase the value of cancer care for patients and for the healthcare system.
Boston, MA—The good news for patients with cancer is that oncologists are beginning to recognize financial toxicity as a side effect of cancer treatment. According to S. Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, Medical Oncologist, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, financial toxicity should be assessed as a patient-reported outcome as early as possible after a cancer diagnosis so that interventions can be put in place to assist patients in getting expanded coverage for their treatments.
Oncology payment reform is a hot topic in the provider and payer communities. Numerous models and pilots have been introduced to define the value of cancer care, improve the quality, and/or control costs. The transition to a system that values outcomes over the quantity of services is driving this reform. Cancer care has changed a lot and continues to change rapidly, but transparency regarding cost and outcomes and the understanding of value has lagged behind.
San Diego, CA—The development of standardized methods of patient assessment through a symptom management clinic (SMC) leads to better quality care, improved patient satisfaction, and a significant reduction in costs, according to a study presented at the 2014 Association of Community Cancer Centers’ National Oncology Conference.
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Results 21 - 30 of 30
  • Rheumatology Practice Management
  • American Health & Drug Benefits
  • Value-Based Cancer Care
  • Value-Based Care in Myeloma
  • Value-Based Care in Neurology