Ellen Miller Sonet, MBA, JD, chief strategy and policy officer, CancerCare, discusses the financial burden cancer patients face and how novel therapies and next-generation sequencing impact the burden.
Ellen Miller Sonet, MBA, JD, chief strategy and policy officer, CancerCare, discusses the financial burden patients with cancer face and how novel therapies and next-generation sequencing impact the burden.
Transcript
How big of an impact does financial burden have on patients with cancer?
A cancer diagnosis and its treatment has enormous financial consequences for patients. There is not only the costs associated with treatment, but there is also the ancillary, nonmedical costs, such as transportation, home healthcare, possible counseling, lodging, childcare. There’s also the lost income for the patient, and often for the caregiver.
Have targeted therapies and immunotherapies affected financial burdens, and will next-generation sequencing have an impact?
Immunotherapies, as exciting as they may be for patients, can also pose enormous financial challenges. Often, they’re inaccessible to patients because of costs and the insurance policies designation in formularies can make the unreachable for certain patients. It’s really unfortunate because these therapies can really make a difference in patients’ lives. But, if they’re inaccessible, then they can’t make that difference.
I think NGS can have an effect in helping determine which patients are most appropriate for targeted therapies, however the NGS also needs to be covered by insurance plans. And again, if insurers aren’t willing to make that part of their policy, then again, patients can’t access it.
The Pivotal Role of Payers in Improving Health Equity, Maternal Health Care in the US
March 26th 2024A presentation at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health's 2024 Women’s Health Summit discussed how payers, including employers and public entities, can strategically influence health care purchasing to prioritize maternal health and equity.
Read More
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Penn Medicine's Dr Justin Bekelman
December 19th 2023Justin Bekelman, MD, director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, sat with our hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for our final episode of 2023 to discuss the importance of collaboration between academic medicine and community oncology and testing innovative cancer care delivery in these settings.
Listen
Dupilumab Considered Safe, Effective Treatment for Adolescent, Adult Patients With AD
March 20th 2024These posters both used the GLOBOSTAD study, which demonstrated through patient and physician assessments that dupilumab is a safe and effective treatment for adolescent and adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Racial Variations in Cardiovascular Outcomes Found in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Study
March 19th 2024Based on the findings, investigators acknowledged the critical need to consider racial differences when assessing patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. Health care providers should be vigilant in addressing cardiovascular risk factors in this population, recognizing and addressing racial disparities that may impact disease management.
Read More