11.11.2015

New Tool Offers Cost Guidance on Cancer Treatment

In order to prescribe the most effective cancer therapy, doctors use formal guidelines to assist in decision-making.  However, these guidelines usually do not consider cost of therapy for patients, leading to therapy decisions based solely on their doctor’s recommendations and unexpected personal financial burden.

An article posted in Bloomberg Business on 10/13/15 describes a new tool that will provide patients with information about the cost of drugs used in their treatment.  The guidelines, developed by an alliance of top U.S. cancer hospitals, will be available to all, not just hospitals in the cancer network. The information is general and does not account for how much of the cost insurance will cover. Drugs are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 for affordability, in the same way the group ranks other aspects of a therapy, such as how toxic or how effective it was in clinical trials.

Link to article Bloomberg Business (10/13/2015)