Interesting piece in Kaiser Health News on the rise in cancer outpatient chemotherapy treatment costs if the oncologist works for a health care system than if they have their own practice, based on the findings of a recent study. The study by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), analyzed private health insurance claims and national data about consolidation among doctors and hospitals between 2008 and 2013. It found significant consolidation between outpatient oncology practices and health care systems in the decade leading up to 2013. The researchers linked that to a rise in spending on drug-based cancer care.
Read more:
- HCCI Issue Brief: The impact of provider consolidation on outpatient prescription drug-based cancer care spending (PDF)
- Kaiser Health News: http://khn.org/news/rise-in-oncologists-working-for-hospitals-spurs-higher-chemo-costs-study/