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Most Common Treatment for Prostate Cancer Not Best Value
External beam radiation is the most toxic and expensive among common prostate cancer treatments over the long-term, a national registry study suggested.
Although it's one of the most common treatments for Medicare patients with prostate cancer, external beam radiation had the highest 16-year cumulative risk of serious gastrointestinal and genitourinary problems compared with surgery and brachytherapy, Jay Ciezki, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues found.
External beam radiation also cost twice as much as either of the other treatments when adding up initial treatment plus management of complications, he reported at a press briefing ahead of presentation at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium here.
The average cost per patient-year was $6,412 with external radiation versus $3,206 with open prostatectomy and $2,557 for brachytherapy (P<0.0001).
Read more about this study at: http://tinyurl.com/83qzpsx
Source: MedPage Today
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Commonwealth Fund Report Details Pervasive Racial and Ethnic Disparities in US Health Care, Outcomes
April 18th 2024Using 25 health system performance indicators, the Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes both within and across US states and highlighted the urgent need for equitable health care policies and practices in the US.
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