Oncology Business Management | Specialty

The OncLive Oncology Business Management condition center page is a comprehensive resource for news and expert insights on business-focused updates and topics in oncology practices, including diversity efforts, telehealth, gaps in care, payment models, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates and best practices with oncology business management.

As Clinicians Attempt to Show Meaningful Use, Smartphone and Tablet Use Declines

June 18th 2014

Health care professionals, including primary care physicians, cardiologists, oncologists, and psychiatrists are using their mobile devices (ie, smartphones and tablets) less, as compared to last year, and find themselves spending more time on a daily basis in front of their desktop computers

Dr. Kim Discusses Detecting EGFR and KRAS Mutations from Cell-Free Plasma DNA of NSCLC Patients

June 16th 2014

Edward S. Kim, MD, chairman, Solid Tumor Oncology and Investigational Therapeutics, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas HealthCare System, discusses the use of improved and complete enrichment co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature method for the detection of EGFR and KRAS mutations from cell-free plasma DNA of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Offering Genetic Counseling Before Testing Saves Money, Reduces Unnecessary Tests

June 13th 2014

Patients who receive genetic counseling before they undergo testing are educated about these tests and may have fewer unnecessary procedures

Regional Cancer Care Associates Delivers Value-Based Care

June 10th 2014

We have been asked on numerous occasions why would almost 100 oncologists "give up their independence and identity in their community" and become part of Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA), a new entity with a single tax identification number?

Bundled Payment Strategies Move Beyond the Pilot Stage

June 10th 2014

Bundled payments are no longer being relegated to pilot program status, according to a report from the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3). Instead, more and more public and private payers are committing to this model as a core payment and delivery reform strategy.

Peter B. Bach, MD, Discusses New Payment Reform Models

June 6th 2014

Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, discussed at a conference recently hosted by The American Journal of Managed Care how new payment models are challenging the current fee-for-service model for community care cancer centers.

WellPoint Study Shows Office-based Practices Deliver Less Costly Cancer Care

June 5th 2014

A retrospective analysis of pharmacy and medical claims conducted by WellPoint shows that the costs to treat and care for cancer patients can be 3% to 14% less, depending on cancer type, when it is provided by oncologist-owned practices versus hospital-owned practices.

Improved Diagnostics Expected in MSK, Quest Collaboration

June 4th 2014

A new independently validated lab test is now available that takes advantage of the extensive database of gene mutations amassed by Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center.

Expanded Molecular Test Registry and Upgraded Data Systems Needed

June 4th 2014

Although we've known for decades that heredity is a major factor in cancer susceptibility and management, the insights gained in the past decade are still breathtaking.

Early Palliative Care for Caregivers Improves Their Wellbeing, Too

May 31st 2014

A phone-based intervention that offers practical tools to help family caregivers support their loved one with advanced cancer-as well as emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle themselves-resulted in less caregiver depression and better quality of life, according to the findings of a new study presented May 30 at the 50th Annual ASCO Meeting in Chicago.

Dr. Hussain on ETS Gene Fusions as a Predictive Biomarker in Prostate Cancer

May 31st 2014

Maha Hussain, MD, from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the possibility of ETS gene fusions acting as a predictive biomarker for prostate cancer.

Reducing Pills From the Cup: Discontinuing Statins in Late-Stage Cancer Patients

May 31st 2014

For patients with less than a year to live, the discontinuation of statins may increase the median time-to-death and improve quality of life.

CMS-Sponsored Website Provides ICD-10 Guidance

May 29th 2014

Although the deadline for ICD-10 implementation has been moved to October 1, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed, in collaboration with physicians, a free tool that is specialty-specific and offers customizable, actionable advice and tips to ease physician practices through the transition to ICD-10.

Markman Gains New Leadership Post at CTCA

May 28th 2014

Maurie Markman, MD, the editor-in-chief of OncologyLive magazine, has been named president of the Medicine & Science unit at Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

WellPoint's Enhanced Payment Plan Encourages Following Treatment Protocols

May 28th 2014

A new reimbursement program initiated by WellPoint, Inc., looks to pay oncologists an additional $350 a month for each patient who is enrolled in and follows one of the insurer's recommended cancer treatment regimens

Adoption of Electronic Health Records Marks End of Paper Charts

May 27th 2014

Nearly 72% of office-based physician practices were using electronic health records (EHRs) in 2012, marking the slow and eventual decline of paper medical charts, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. From 2007 through 2012, use of any type of EHR system increased across all physician and practice categories, with the exception of HMO-owned practices.

Physician Practices Dissatisfied With ACA Exchange Products

May 21st 2014

Physician practices that provide care to patients who have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) health exchanges are finding it difficult to complete some basic administrative tasks.

After Colorectal Cancer Spreads, Additional Imaging Adds Little Benefit

May 20th 2014

For patients whose colorectal cancer has spread to the liver, and confirmed by computed tomography (CT), further imaging scans before surgery added little benefit when compared to patients who did not undergo further imaging.

Nivolumab, Elotuzumab Receive Breakthrough Therapy Designations for Types of Blood Cancer

May 19th 2014

Over the course of only a few days, two drugs that will be commercialized by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), nivolumab and elotuzumab, have each been granted breakthrough therapy designations by the FDA for the treatment of two different types of blood cancers.

Testicular Self-Examination Cost-Effective Compared with Missed Advanced Cancer

May 19th 2014

Testicular self-examination remains highly cost-effective despite a negative recommendation from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a cost-utility analysis suggested.