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.

ASCO Presses for Payment Fix, Details Pressures on System

March 11th 2014

The US cancer care system is faced with increasing cuts to Medicare payments, the prospect of a dramatic increase in the number of patients with cancer, and proportionately fewer oncology specialists to treat them.

ASCO Report Says More Practices Using Advanced Practice Providers

March 11th 2014

More oncology practices are looking to advanced practice nurses and other non-physician providers to meet the needs of their cancer patients.

For Hospitals and Clinics, Spending on Anticancer Medication Moderates in 2014

March 7th 2014

New research suggests that spending on anticancer agents is moderating, going against national trends that suggest an uptick in the US prescription drug expenditures this year.

Oncology Practices Face the Biggest Change in Coding Since the Computer-ICD-10

March 5th 2014

Set for full rollout on October 1, the much delayed 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems is probably the biggest revision to medical coding and billing since computerized medical coding and billing practices began decades ago.

Patient Relationship Management as Seen Through the Revenue Cycle

March 5th 2014

With the adoption of a patient engagement initiative, Gwinnett Medical Center in Atlanta was able to improve the billing experience for 86% of patients surveyed.

Repealing Sustainable Growth Rate Would Cost $138 Billion Over 10 Years

March 4th 2014

Repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, a mechanism Congress enacted in 1997 to limit Medicare costs, is going to leave taxpayers with a bill of $60 billion from 2014 through 2019, and a total of $138 billion through 2024.

Peregrine's Lead Agent Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for NSCLC

March 4th 2014

Bavituximab, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' lead clinical immunotherapeutic candidate, received Fast Track designation from the FDA to kick off 2014.

Compensation Gap Between PCPs, Specialists Decreases

March 3rd 2014

Bucking a trend reported for many years, new compensation data suggest the gap between what primary care physicians are paid and what medical and surgical specialists are paid is decreasing.

To Merge Or Not To Merge?

February 28th 2014

For 18 years, Thomas Whittaker, MD, worked as an independent oncologist and as a physician partner in Central Indiana Cancer Centers, a private practice group of 17 doctors that provided medical and radiation oncology care to patients with cancer.

Highmark Lowers Hospital-Infusion Chemotherapy Rates

February 27th 2014

Hospitals and medical centers that provide chemotherapy infusion services to their cancer patients on an outpatient basis generally get paid more than oncologists and hematologists who provide the same services in a private office.

Integrating Genetic Counseling Into an Oncology Practice Can Benefit High-Risk Families

February 26th 2014

Genetic counseling-including testing and risk assessment-is one of the most rapidly growing areas of oncology and has become the standard of care for patients with a personal and family history of breast, ovary, or colon cancer.

Minimal Benefits Seen in Medical Home Pilot Program

February 26th 2014

Improvements in quality of care and reductions in hospitalizations were minimal

Transforming Solo Practices Into Accountable Care Organizations

February 25th 2014

More and more solo practices are facing a transformation that is neither small nor simple in the current accountable care environment.

Physician Practices, Health Care Organizations See Own Staff as Source of Security Breaches

February 21st 2014

Results from the final report of the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Security Survey suggest that physician practices and health care organizations such as hospitals view their own staff members as the greatest source of patient information and confidentiality security breaches.

Galena Moves Beyond Pain Relief to Targeted Cancer Treatments

February 20th 2014

Galena Biopharma is looking to expand its presence in the oncology field by developing and acquiring targeted cancer agents.

CMS Bows to Pressure-Conducts End-to-End Testing of ICD-10

February 20th 2014

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is caving to pressure from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) to conduct far more extensive end-to-end testing to assure proper adjudication and payment of claims as the October 1 deadline for the ICD-10 transition looms

Providing Earlier Palliative Care Improves Quality of Life, Patient Satisfaction

February 19th 2014

Traditionally, palliative care for patients with cancer is geared towards end-of-life measures, but a new study from the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto suggests patients who receive palliative care earlier in their cancer therapy report improved quality of life and greater satisfaction.

Despite Access to Health Information Technology, Providers Still Ordering Duplicative Tests

February 17th 2014

Providing access to health information technology and health information exchanges isn't always enough to avoid ordering duplicative tests

Visualizing Cancer Cells With the Help of High-tech Eyewear

February 17th 2014

High-tech eyewear could soon help surgeons remove tumors from patients with breast cancer or melanoma by allowing them to see the margins of tumors more accurately when a dye is used to fluoresce a tumor's borders.

Dr. Ferrajoli on the FDA Approval of Ibrutinib in CLL

February 17th 2014

Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD, discusses the recent approval of ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have received at least one previous therapy.