Chase Doyle

“Redirecting radical prostatectomy patients to high-volume providers is associated with better medical and oncologic outcomes, shorter length of stay, and fewer complications. Referrals within 100 miles are not only feasible but could save significant societal costs,” said Sarmad Sadeghi, MD, PhD, of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, who presented the study results.

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Medicare is poised to incorporate new quality metrics as a guide for payments. At ASH 2015, the CSO of the National Quality Forum discussed the need for measures and reporting systems that reflect patient care and care coordination. Read More ›

Although it may have taken 17 years to repeal the sustainable growth rate formula, according to Lemeneh Tefera, MD, MSc, Medical Officer at the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), it was, surprisingly, a bipartisan bill. Read More ›

While it may have taken 17 years to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, according to Lemeneh Tefera, MD, MSc, Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), it was a surprisingly bipartisan bill. Read More ›

Tracy Spears, CEO of the Exceptional Leaders Lab, spoke about the importance of offering straightforward strategies that can be applied immediately in one’s practice at the annual NORM meeting. Read More ›

Bellevue, WA—Although biologics have been a potent addition to the rheumatologist’s armamentarium, they come with complications, too, including high costs and regulatory confusion. In other words, their complexity extends far beyond the manufacturing process. Read More ›

Infertility and early menopause associated with cancer therapy can present medical and emotional challenges for patients and clinicians, according to Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. Dr Partridge presented results of a survey at the 2015 Breast Cancer Symposium, suggesting that cancer survivors who become infertile as a result of cancer treatment are at risk for emotional distress, often associated with unresolved grief and depression. Read More ›

Numbers might not lie, but that does not mean they are here to reassure us either. In fact, when one is talking about the marketplace of healthcare, the numbers can be downright terrifying. Read More ›

For most rheumatology managers, payer contracts represent the bottom line of their practices’ earnings; putting these contracts in order is thus a necessity for the financial health of the organization. Read More ›

Congress is keeping things interesting for rheumatology practice managers. If it wasn’t challenging enough to run a medical practice before, now there’s a whole new set of acronyms to contend with—MACRA, MIPS, and APMs. Read More ›

In honor of the 10th anniversary celebration of the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM), Judith Stovall, a rheumatology practice manager in Trumbull, CT, highlighted 10 different roles that a manager may assume in the course of a hectic day—with great humor and humility. Read More ›

The definition of value by patients with cancer does not necessarily coincide with other definitions by other stakeholders. According to one breast cancer advocate, when patients are asked to define “value” in the context of their cancer treatment, cost is not the first thing that comes to mind. Read More ›

Two pilot programs that bridge health plans and health systems showed success in raising awareness of inappropriate testosterone replacement therapy in men with age-related hypogonadism. Read More ›

Patients with urologic cancer who are readmitted after a surgery to a second hospital and not to their original hospital are more likely to have complications than patients readmitted to their original surgical hospital, according to findings presented at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Read More ›

Sunitinib and pazopanib have long battled for supremacy in treating advanced renal-cell carcinoma (RCC). According to findings presented at the 2015 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) conference, the newer drug, pazopanib, may have some advantage in terms of total cost of care, but survival outcomes were exactly the same. Read More ›

According to a recent cost-effectiveness analysis, third-line therapy with regorafenib (Stivarga) in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) far ­exceeded accepted willingness-to-pay thresholds based on incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Presented at the 2015 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, the results showed that regorafenib provided an additional 0.04 QALYs, at a cost of $39,391. Read More ›

Attended by a plurality of the membership, the 12th annual meeting of the Tennessee Rheumatology Society (TRS) fulfilled the society’s stated mission of increasing and propagating the understanding of rheumatic diseases among physicians engaged in the ongoing practice of rheumatology. Read More ›

Patient portals offer valuable benefits to providers and patients by enhancing patient–provider communication, increasing operational efficiencies, and empowering patients, according to data presented at the 2014 Association of Community Cancer Centers National Oncology Conference. Read More ›

San Diego, CA—Patient portals offer valuable benefits to providers and patients by enhancing patient–provider communication, increasing operational efficiencies, and empowering patients, according to data presented at the 2014 Association of Community Cancer Centers National Oncology Conference. Read More ›