Scott D. Ramsey, MD, PhD

From his vantage point as director of the Cancer Technology Assessment Group at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, Scott D. Ramsey, MD, PhD,sees the financial fallout of cancer care like few do.

According to Dr Ramsey, both the Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR) model and the pharmaceuticals pricing model in the United States are broken. He says: Unless we, as a community, figure out a way to use health economics in our decision making, we are not going to stop this train of unsupportable price increases in pharma.

This study critically assessed the published clinical and economic evidence supporting oncology orphan drugs marketed in the United States.

We linked health insurance records to cancer registry data to analyze colony-stimulating factor use, finding wide divergence from that recommended by practice guidelines.

In a survey of local-stage prostate cancer patients, preference for prostatectomy was influenced by perceptions of its efficacy and personal burden versus nonsurgical options.

Using health insurance claims, we identified common first-, second-, and third-line chemotherapy regimens for patients with lung cancer and associated utilization and costs of care.