In a study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology: Oncology Practice, researchers demonstrated that the reduction of drug spending by using value-based clinical pathways to optimize chemotherapy utilization is possible and can increase the chances of a practice’s success within the Oncology Care Model (OCM).
Researchers indicated that misguided perceptions that drug prices are outside the control of oncologists has led to many OCM participants focusing their efforts on other areas to reduce costs, such as reducing preventable emergency department visits and hospital admissions.
“This perception fails to account for the documented success value-based clinical pathways have had in reducing drug spend with no change in clinical outcomes,” the authors wrote. “Given the high percentage of the total episode cost that drug spend accounts for, small improvements in…