PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--eviti, Inc., an independent health information technology and oncology decision-support company, released results of a multi-year study performed in association with professionals from Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. The study showed that 28.7% of cancer patients had oncology treatments prescribed that did not conform to evidence-based standards or could not be medically justified. The study also revealed that the cost of the unwarranted components of these treatments averaged $25,579 per patient. At current annual cancer incidence rates in the US, this translates to over $10 billion per year in unnecessary costs that could be significantly reduced by eliminating unwarranted, non-evidence-based cancer treatment.
Arlene Forastiere, Sr. Vice President Medical Affairs at eviti, Inc. said, “This study is very important, because while most experts agree that prescribing evidence-based care leads to better clinical outcomes, to my knowledge, no formal study as comprehensive as this has been done to confirm the expected cost savings associated with this improved quality.”
For the study, which was presented and discussed at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, researchers reviewed the treatment plans of 2,544 oncology patients in an unselected population across all 50 states representing multiple health plans. All cancer types, stage and treatment intent (curative, non-curative) were included, and the study sample also included both chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments submitted and reviewed over the period from March 2009 to March 2012.
These consecutive treatment plans had all been submitted to eviti, Inc. to determine adherence to national guideline recommendations from ASCO, ASTRO, NCI, NCCN Compendium and the FDA. Submitted treatment plan information, provided directly by oncology practices, was used to calculate the variance in cost between submitted treatment plans with unwarranted deviations from evidence-based standards. For prospective reviews, the final evidence-based treatment given was known and for retrospective reviews, the variance was estimated based on the evidence-based alternative with the lowest cost. Average wholesale pricing was used to calculate chemotherapy and supportive drug costs and Medicare pricing for radiation therapy. First order savings were calculated, excluding, for example, downstream savings from reduced hospital stays. To view the study visit: www.eviti.com/cancer_care/img/POSTER2013.pdf
About eviti, Inc.
eviti, Inc. is a leading health information technology and clinical decision-support company delivering solutions to improve the quality of cancer care and reduce its cost. eviti represents the culmination of almost a decade of experience providing oncology treatment intelligence, uniquely delivering value to all parties in the care process by ensuring quality care is prescribed from the start.
eviti’s growing national prominence is evidenced by the 2,700+ practices already registered to use the eviti platform. eviti’s independent, non-proprietary digital oncology treatment library is one of the most comprehensive and current of its kind, meticulously compiled from the world’s leading sources. eviti’s treatment knowledge base and patent-pending decision-support engine help oncologists select a treatment option that is both evidence-based and compliant with each patient’s insurance plan language at the moment of prescribing. This transparent approach streamlines workflow and reimbursement, reduces variability in clinical care, and results in cost efficiencies. eviti allows the best cancer care to be available everywhere. For more information, visit www.eviti.com.
