on January 30, 2012 |
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Topics: Oncology, Service Lines, Geriatrics, Palliative Care, Methodologies, Performance Improvement
Anne Taylor, Oncology Roundtable
Despite strong patient preferences regarding end-of-life care, oncology care does not always align with patients’ expressed wishes. A 2005 University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Healthcare survey of over 2,500 Medicare-aged individuals reported that, in the event of a hypothetical terminal illness, 86% of respondents would prefer to die at home; only 9% of respondents would prefer to die in the hospital.
Unfortunately, there is a significant disparity between patients’ end-of-life preferences and the reality of end-of-life care in oncology practice. According to the Dartmouth Atlas Project Report on Quality End-of-Life Care , 29% of Medicare-aged patients who died of cancer died in the hospital.
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Place of death often incongruent with patient preferences
Allison Cuff Shimooka on January 13, 2012 |
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Topics: Clinical Research, Service Lines, Oncology
When the Accountable Care Act (ACA) was passed on in 2010, one of the provisions we highlighted as most likely to have an impact on cancer providers was the requirement that insurers and health plans provide coverage for routine care costs for patients participating in approved clinical trials by 2014. It has been difficult to assess the impact this provision will have, as much depends on the current state of coverage, which varies by state.
A study just published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology provides some insight to the issue. The authors analyze current state mandates and regulations related to clinical trial coverage, compare them to the mandates within the ACA, thus allowing an analysis of the potential impact.
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Does reform law really expand coverage for clinical trials?
on January 11, 2012 |
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Topics: Oncology, Service Lines
Anne Taylor, Oncology Roundtable
ASCO’s Workforce Advisory Group recently contracted with Oncology Metrics to explore the potential use of non-physician practitioners (NPPs) in oncology practice as a means to address increasing demand for cancer services without adding oncologists to the workforce.
After surveying 226 oncology practices, researchers selected 27 representative practices to participate in a study of NPP integration in oncology practice. The researchers queried physicians, NPPs, and patients to identify collaborative practice models and to quantify the provider satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and productivity associated with each model. The results were published in the Journal of Oncology Practice.
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ASCO studies models for deploying advanced practice providers in oncology
