Dr Robert W. Dubois Explains the Growing Importance of Clinical Pathways

Pathways, particularly in oncology, have been gaining a lot more attention lately as payers are looking to bundle payments, Robert W. Dubois, MD, PhD, chief science officer and executive vice president of the National Pharmaceutical Council, explained at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 27th Annual Meeting & Expo in San Diego, April 7-10.

Companies like Anthem, United, and Aetna are looking to pay specialists for blocks of services instead of individual payments for individual services, he explained.

"So as the healthcare financial situation changes from fee for service to a pay for a block of services or pay for performance, we're going to see more and more exploration of pathways," Dr Dubois said.