Research

November 1, 2018

Journal of Oncology Practice: Cost Differences Associated With Oncology Care Delivered in a Community Setting Versus a Hospital Setting: A Matched-Claims Analysis of Patients With Breast, Colorectal, and Lung Cancers

Access to high-quality cancer care remains a challenge for many patients. One such barrier is the increasing cost of treatment. With recent shifts in cancer care delivery from community-based to hospital-based clinics, we examined whether this shift could result in increased costs for patients with three common tumor types. Read the full document: Cost Differences […]

Research
April 25, 2018

JAMA Oncology: Chemotherapy Spending Significantly Lower in Physician Offices

A research letter published in JAMA Oncology examined trends in use of and spending for infused chemotherapy in the hospital outpatient department (HOPD) setting compared to the physician office setting from 2004 to 2014 among commercial insured patients. The study found the following: The rate of commercially insured patients receiving chemotherapy in HOPDs increased from […]

Research
October 11, 2016

Community Oncology Alliance Practice Impact Report, October 2016

The 2016 Community Oncology Practice Impact Report documents a 121% increase in community cancer clinic closings and a 172% increase in consolidation into hospitals since 2008. In that period, 380 cancer treatment facilities have closed, and 609 community cancer practices have been acquired by or become affiliated with hospitals. Another 390 practices report that they […]

Research
April 17, 2016

Cost Drivers of Cancer Care: A Retrospective Analysis of Medicare and Commercially Insured Population Claim Data 2004-2014, Milliman, April 2016

Nearly 14.5 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive in 2014 and that number is projected to increase to 18.1 million in 2020. A number of factors will contribute to this increase, including the growth and aging of the U.S. population, an overall reduction in mortality, the earlier detection of cancer (lead timebefore […]

Research
March 17, 2016

National Estimates of Price Variation by Site of Care, American Journal of Managed Care, March 2016

Recently, researchers and policy makers have demonstrated growing interest in differences in payments across sites of care for the same healthcare service, such as in a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) versus a physician office (PO). Our objective was to examine the price differential for individuals with employer-sponsored insurance by site of care for 7 commonly […]

Research
March 13, 2016

The impact of provider consolidation on outpatient prescription drug-based cancer care spending, Health Care Cost Institute, March 2016

Many policymakers (including state attorney general offices, Medicaid program directors, insurance commissioners) worry about the effects of medical provider consolidation on spending levels and trends. Medical provider consolidation’s impact on spending is an empirical question. On the one hand, consolidation may lead to the identification and dissemination of best practices and reductions in the use […]

Research
February 17, 2016

Medicare Payment Differentials Across Outpatient Settings of Care, Avalere, February 2016

Medicare beneficiaries can receive the same services in different outpatient settings, yet various providers in those settings can receive different payments for that care and beneficiaries can face different cost-sharing amounts. For example, a Medicare beneficiary could receive a colonoscopy in the hospital outpatient department (HOPD), an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) or a physician office. […]

Research