Increased prescribing rates of evidence-based cancer drugs may be achieved without a concomitant change in total spending on care through pay-for-performance programs. In an observational study that evaluated the association between an insurer’s pay-for-performance program and the changes in the prescribing of evidence-based cancer drugs and costs, researchers found evidence-based prescribing with the pay-for-performance program was associated with a 5.1% increase in prescribing (P <.001) from the preintervention to intervention period. In addition, the pay-for-performance program resulted in a differential increase of $3,339 (P = .003) in cancer drug spending and a differential increase of $253 (P = .001) in out-of-pocket spending for patients.
“We are pleased that this analysis demonstrates that our program indeed can improve the rate of high-value, evidence-based prescribing in oncology,” said David Debono, MD, Anthem national medical director for oncology.“ Read the full article here.
(Source: Lisa Kuhns, Journal Of Clinical Pathways, 10/13/20
