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Accountable Care Organizations in Oncology
During this segment, Michael Kolodziej, MD, and Ted Okon, MBA, discuss Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and the variables that need to be considered when applying these models to oncology practices.
Currently, there is a need to determine a better way to measure performance, suggest the experts. ACOs, explains Mr Okon, were established to base reimbursement on performance. Providers are judged on how well they perform their roles, but their performance against other practices has not been considered, he says. Additionally, providers have done their best to improve efficiency; however, practices that are already efficient do not receive a benefit for maintaining this efficiency. Mr Okon adds that ACOs do not take into account the high costs of treatments for cancer, which adds pressure to providers to keep costs down while making important treatment decisions for their patients.
To improve the efficiency of ACO models in oncology, Dr Kolodziej and Mr Okon suggest the importance of providing more coordinated care, increasing communication, and focusing on the needs of patients. Mr Okon notes that various groups recognize these issues, are analyzing them, and are beginning to provide recommendations on how to improve ACOs.
Additionally, Dr Kolodziej is hopeful that under ACO models, hospitals will begin to establish methodologies for measuring performance and fostering continuous quality improvement.
Watch our related Peer Exchange, Oncology Stakeholders Summit, Spring 2015
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Gaps in Access to Cancer Care Resources May Contribute to Racial, Ethnic Disparities
December 1st 2023Researchers found that core oncology services were less likely to be available at hospitals serving racial and ethnic minority groups compared with other hospitals in the United States.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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