Industry Trend

A Look at Third-Party Oncology Clinical Pathways

In order to improve patient outcomes and reduce variations in oncology care, more and more payers and providers are adopting oncology clinical pathways (OCPs) — treatment protocols that aim to provide the optimal cancer care to patients at the lowest cost, according to a recent MMIT webinar. The share of oncologists exposed to third-party oncology pathways increased from 20% in 2015 to 52% in 2021, with one third of oncologists choosing a provider-focused pathway as of the fourth quarter of 2021. Breast cancer, multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer are among the top therapeutic areas managed by third-party pathways.

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© 2024 MMIT

Demand for Medication Abortion May Rise if Roe Falls

The use of medication abortion — which involves two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol — has grown significantly since its approval and now accounts for 54% of all pregnancy terminations before nine weeks of gestation in the U.S. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, medication abortion usage is likely to increase as patients in states that ban the procedure are likely to attempt to obtain courses of medication abortion from states that allow it. Only 18 states and the District of Columbia allow both advanced practice clinicians and medical doctors to dispense abortion pills. Six states have passed laws banning any use of telehealth for medication abortion, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Insurance coverage for both surgical and medical abortion is heavily regulated across the nation. A 2019 study from the Government Accountability Office found that 14 states’ Medicaid programs do not cover mifepristone even in the cases of rape, incest and life endangerment.

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© 2024 MMIT

A Look at Third-Party Oncology Clinical Pathways

In order to improve patient outcomes and reduce variations in oncology care, more and more payers and providers are adopting oncology clinical pathways (OCPs) — treatment protocols that aim to provide the optimal cancer care to patients at the lowest cost, according to a recent MMIT webinar. The share of oncologists exposed to third-party oncology pathways increased from 20% in 2015 to 52% in 2021, with one third of oncologists choosing a provider-focused pathway as of the fourth quarter of 2021. Breast cancer, multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer are among the top therapeutic areas managed by third-party pathways.

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© 2024 MMIT

A Look at Third-Party Oncology Clinical Pathways

In order to improve patient outcomes and reduce variations in oncology care, more and more payers and providers are adopting oncology clinical pathways (OCPs) — treatment protocols that aim to provide the optimal cancer care to patients at the lowest cost, according to a recent MMIT webinar. The share of oncologists exposed to third-party oncology pathways increased from 20% in 2015 to 52% in 2021, with one third of oncologists choosing a provider-focused pathway as of the fourth quarter of 2021. Breast cancer, multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer are among the top therapeutic areas managed by third-party pathways.

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© 2024 MMIT

Commercial-to-Medicare Price Ratios Remain Stable, Vary Across Regions

Commercial health plans pay much higher prices for hospital care than public payers, but just how much higher those prices are is far from uniform across the country. Between 2012 and 2019, average commercial-to-Medicare price ratios were relatively stable, with a 7% increase, but there were large increases in some hospital referral regions (HRRs) and reductions in others, according a study published in Health Affairs. Researchers suggested that restraining the growth rate of HRR commercial price ratios to the national average “would have reduced aggregate health care spending by $39 billion in 2019.”

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© 2024 MMIT

Millions Will Lose Medicaid Coverage After PHE Ends; Only Half of States Have Plans in Place

More than 14 million Medicaid enrollees could lose their coverage within six months when the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends, a Commonwealth Fund report projected. Meanwhile, Kaiser Family Foundation’s 50-state survey found that many states have not made key decisions on how to promote continuity of coverage. While the PHE is set to expire on April 16, HHS has said it would give at least 60 days’ notice before ending it, suggesting another extension is coming.

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© 2024 MMIT

Small-Group Insurance Market Remains Stable Under ACA

About half of small-firm employees worked for an establishment that offered health insurance from 2013 to 2020, and the small-group market has remained relatively stable since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a recent Urban Institute study. Employee coverage rates at small firms — which have fewer than 50 employees — dropped 2 percentage points, from 57.1% in 2013 to 55.1% in 2020. Meanwhile, employees’ contributions to single and family coverage in the small-group market rose during the study period by 2.3 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively. Though many people anticipated that small firms would transition to self-insurance to avoid ACA’s regulations, small firms were much less likely than larger firms to offer a self-insured plan between 2013 and 2020.

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© 2024 MMIT