Articles

Chicago, IL—The rapid advances in cancer treatment, especially in personalized medicine, are occurring at an enormous financial cost to the healthcare system.

Chicago, IL—“Building Bridges to Conquer Cancer” was the theme of the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, as well as of the address of ASCO’s outgoing President Sandra M. Swain, MD.

The past several years have seen significant consolidation in the healthcare industry. The cost of healthcare in the United States is currently estimated to be 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and the costs are projected to increase disproportionately to the GDP during the next decade.

A new study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health shows that a set of proteins in the body produces a large number of mutations in human DNA, indicating that these naturally produced mutations are just as powerful as cancer-causing agents in producing tumors.

Many presentations at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) focused on new research involving immunotherapy, including drugs for melanoma and lung cancer that have shown great success in prolonging life in patients with advanced disease.

Quality measures and patient satisfaction are increasingly being tied to a proportion of physicians’ reimbursement, according to a new report from the Medical Group Management Association-American College of Medical Practice Executives (MGMA-ACMPE), “Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data.”

The new US Senate bill for the Veterans Affairs (VA) system provides $3.7 billion for the VA System information technology, which includes $251.9 million for an integrated electronic health record system and $119.4 million for the Veterans Benefits Management System claims systems.

With the new landscape of healthcare delivery yet to come into sharp focus, employers are living in “the land of confusion,” wondering how they will conform to new requirements, meet the expectations of their employees, and remain profitable, said Peter Hayes, Principal, Healthcare Solutions, Duluth, GA, at the Third Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

The management of patients with prostate cancer will be advanced by 2 new genetic tests—Oncotype DX prostate cancer test and Prolaris.

Financial distress is prevalent among insured patients with cancer, and although most patients state a desire to talk to their physicians about costs, this discussion rarely occurs, according to a study conducted at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.