Articles

Evaluation of a regional payer-based pay-for-quality (P4Q)oncology program showed thatPathways programs can greatly reduce the cost of cancer care by slowingthe growth rate of both drug andnondrug expenses.

Although financial concerns are increasingly influencing choices in cancer therapy, barriers to cost discussions between physicians and patients often limit the scope of such discussions.

Researchers from the University of California and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have begun working on a prototype “cyberinfrastructure” that would allow cancer researchers to collect and interpret data from multiple sources to compare the effectiveness of preventive measures, drugs, treatments, and interventions during the course of clinical trials.

A new study suggests that removing financial incentives for screening for cervical cancer, diabetic retinopathy, and hypertension and diabetes control reduces performance, including screening rates. The study was published online in May in the British Medical Journal (2010;340:c1898).

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which is Congress’ latest attempt to reform our healthcare system, creates 3 new entities that will test new payment methodologies or compare current treatments in an attempt to determine better value for our healthcare dollar.