Patient Health Hangs in the Balance when Doctors are on Hold This is a chilling scenario; far, far from the Halloween 'BOO!' kind of scary we think of this time of year. Gynecologic cancer surgeon, Dr. Barbara Goff, describes the nightmare that patients, caregivers and physicians experience when seeking treatment for complex diseases. Dr. Goff alarmingly declares that "patients die"

Doctors Are Fighting to Give Patients the Right Medicine at the Right Time The House Small Business Committee heard recently from physicians about how utilization management techniques like prior authorization snarl patient care, smother physician decision making under layers of red tape, divert resources from patient treatment and do not produce better outcomes. Prior authorization is a process by health

Cancer drug approvals in the U.S. have surged over the past few decades As Seen in StatNews here. Reflecting an intensifying effort to conquer cancer, the portion of new oncology treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration swelled over the past decade, reaching 27% of all drug approvals compared with just 4% during the 1980s, according to a new

THIS is what innovation looks like. A new report by Tufts University Center for the Study of Drug Development shows that the number of FDA approvals for cancer drugs has surged in recent decades. Since 2010, over 1 in 4 (27%) of all drug approvals the FDA has issued were for new oncology treatments. During the 1980s, cancer drugs represented

The American Cancer Society Speaks out on IPI The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) has carefully reviewed the proposed International Pricing Index (IPI) model. ACS CAN, representing the interests of 15.5 million cancer patients and survivors, nationwide has found that IPI “could actually make it harder for cancer patients, especially those living in rural areas, to find

Don’t Complicate Complex Chronic Disease Care This peek into the interworking of a large, multidisciplinary health care delivery site is fascinating. Who knew there was a Star Trek-like element deep within those large, bustling buildings? Setting aside the sci-fi fascination, Dr. Pelzman’s message is prudent, “we need to streamline the way we take care of our patients.” One way to