Practice Management

This study found that implementation of the enhanced recovery after surgery pathway combined with prehabilitation programs can significantly change the postoperative course of patients.

The oncologist from the Morrison Cancer Center explained why he believes the general population should not receive multi-gene panel testing.

The organization indicated that patient safety should continue to be the first priority, and home infusion of anticancer therapy still presents with possible risks that should be considered.

Researchers specifically suggested that the 86-SNV score could be incorporated into breast cancer risk prediction models for patients carrying a pathogenic variant in BRCA1, BRCA2, and CHEK2.

In addition to being approved to detect the HER2 biomarker in breast cancer, the assay was approved as a companion diagnostic for trastuzumab therapy.

These findings have serious implications for future cancer care and underscore the need to resume cancer care and screening.

This research suggested the need for reassessment of the methods by which childhood cancer treatment delivery are approached during crises.

Though a significant shift in coverage frameworks was detected in this study, future research should continue to monitor coverage and its possible impact on test utilization.

Though the video did not have a statistically significant impact, those assigned to watch the video appeared to be more informed about hospice care and reported more favorable perceptions of hospice.

A Yale study found that states with expanded Medicaid diagnosed women with breast cancer at an earlier stage of disease and was associated with a reduced number of uninsured patients when compared to non-Medicaid expansion states.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network published a document intended for patients to understand how CAR-T cells work and what side effects are associated with the treatment.

The new website platform will include patient-reported data from clinical trials, capturing relevant information about disease- or treatment-related symptoms.

During the NCCN Annual Conference, Ron Kline, MD, FAAP, from CMS’s Innovation Center, discussed the Center’s pilot Oncology Care Model.

A 3-year pilot program that rewarded oncologists for improving outcomes and efficiency-rather than administering drugs-significantly reduced overall costs without lowering quality of care.

Delivering patient-centered care and engaging in shared decision-making should be top priorities for oncologists responding to the current crisis in the quality of cancer care delivery, according to a recent Institution of Medicine report.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today issued its second “Top 5” list of tests and treatments that are routinely used by oncologists despite a lack of evidence that they are cost effective or beneficial to patients.

ACOs can provide the structure, but it’s up to the stakeholders to establish mutually agreeable goals for this new care delivery model. Achieving these goals will require a different set of dialogues and conversations among stakeholders, and patients and their advocates must have seats at the table.

We examine efforts to correct cost inequities of oral anti-cancer agents through legislation, and we look at further efforts to reduce the cost of oral chemotherapy via cycle management and waste reduction.

Most community cancer centers are only beginning to measure quality of care and are struggling with the challenge of collecting data while adding services and keeping costs in check, concluded a recent survey by the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC).

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is inviting physicians to comment on a proposal to make individual physician payment data accessible to the public.

A group of cancer and other healthcare advocacy organizations applauded a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires private insurers to cover the routine medical costs of patients participating in clinical trials. However, many of those patients will continue to face roadblocks to participating in trials unless the federal government provides clear guidance on implementation, the groups said in a recent letter.

Developing an effective personal and professional self-care plan can help oncologists deal with the pressures of caring for terminally ill patients and potentially prevent burnout, a recent study suggests.

Now is a critical moment for all involved in caring for cancer patients to engage in this national policy debate; numerous cancer advocacy organizations have already joined the effort to oppose the sequester cuts to oncology drugs.

Four of the nation’s cancer organizations--including the COA and ASCO--believe that the sequestration cuts will impact the treatment of cancer patients on Medicare and have sent letters to Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Oncologists hit by sequester budget cuts to the cost of purchasing and administering cancer drugs are hoping that the potentially devastating impact on Medicare cancer patients will force a quick legislative fix in Congress.

New guidelines make recommendations on how physicians should conduct themselves online, examining the effect of Facebook and Twitter on patient-physician relationships.

In this interview we discuss the dissemination of research results, clinical trials, and other oncology news using social media, as well as what type of media oncologists use, and how useful and relevant this type of information is for most oncologists.

We presented an interactive session entitled “Using Social Media in Oncology for Education and Patient Engagement” at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2012 Annual Meeting. This article summarizes the points made in those presentations.

ICD-10 is a massive undertaking that expands our current 13,000 codes to 68,000 codes. It will impact nearly all business processes in a physician's practice: verification of eligibility, pre-authorization, clinical documentation, research activities, public health reporting, quality reporting, and claim submission.

Gail R. Wilensky, PhD, has written an editorial on the Medicare reform that was published on April 27. 2011 in the online version of the NEJM. Professor Wilensky is an ecomomist, senior fellow at Project HOPE, and serves on Congressional committees to advise Congress on payment and other Medicare-related issues.