Developing Dialogue in Healthcare

The editors introduce this special issue, which contributes to an ongoing dialogue in cancer care that explores the tension between new therapeutics and the ever-increasing need to limit resources.

This article was published as part of a special joint issue and also appears in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

We practice in a tumultuous era. Healthcare costs continue to increase, and it is ever more apparent that resources are limited. Yet the understanding of the fundamentals of our biology is rapidly increasing, and that knowledge feeds the ability to positively change lives with new therapeutics, providing hope to thousands with cancer. Hence there is great tension in cancer care between new, wonderful, expensive therapeutics and a world characterized by more need and limited budgets and resources. Those who set and administer healthcare policy and those on the front lines delivering care must develop and maintain a dialogue informed by data. It is in that spirit that this supplemental issue, copublished by journals with different audiences, is presented. A few words of introduction to both journals are in order.

The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) is an independent, peer-reviewed forum for the dissemination of research relating to clinical, economic, and policy aspects of financing and delivering efficient and high-quality healthcare. Circulating to approximately 47,000 individuals with important decision-making responsibilities that affect the access to and use of healthcare resources, AJMC includes in its readership medical directors, pharmacy and therapeutics committee members, pharmacy directors, physicians, corporate benefits managers, and other healthcare professionals across 6 market segments: health maintenance organizations/preferred provider organizations/integrated healthcare organizations; hospitals; long-term care; pharmacy benefit managers; veterans affairs/government; and employers.

Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP), the newer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) 2 research journals, provides oncology professionals with information and tools to enhance practice efficiency and promote high-quality patient care. The Journal aspires to become the authoritative resource on clinical and administrative management for practicing oncologists by including peer-reviewed original research, feature articles, and section columns on issues pertinent to daily practice operations. JOP is available to ASCO’s worldwide membership of more than 30,000, which comprises clinical oncologists from all oncology disciplines and subspecialties; physicians and healthcare professionals participating in approved oncology training programs; oncology nurses; and other healthcare practitioners with a predominant interest in oncology.

The editors appreciate the enthusiasm of authors who submitted their work in response to the call for papers and the efforts of the publication staff at AJMC and JOP for bringing this work to fruition. They are the unsung heroes. We invite you to send comments to jopeditorsdesk@asco.org. We wish you good reading.

Authors’ Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest: The authors indicated no potential conflicts of interest.

Author Contributions Conception and design: John V. Cox, A. Mark Fendrick.

Administrative support: John V. Cox.

Manuscript writing: John V. Cox, A. Mark Fendrick.

Final approval of manuscript: John V. Cox, A. Mark Fendrick.