Oncology Business Management | Specialty

The OncLive Oncology Business Management condition center page is a comprehensive resource for news and expert insights on business-focused updates and topics in oncology practices, including diversity efforts, telehealth, gaps in care, payment models, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates and best practices with oncology business management.

Compensation Gap Between PCPs, Specialists Decreases

March 3rd 2014

Bucking a trend reported for many years, new compensation data suggest the gap between what primary care physicians are paid and what medical and surgical specialists are paid is decreasing.

To Merge Or Not To Merge?

February 28th 2014

For 18 years, Thomas Whittaker, MD, worked as an independent oncologist and as a physician partner in Central Indiana Cancer Centers, a private practice group of 17 doctors that provided medical and radiation oncology care to patients with cancer.

Highmark Lowers Hospital-Infusion Chemotherapy Rates

February 27th 2014

Hospitals and medical centers that provide chemotherapy infusion services to their cancer patients on an outpatient basis generally get paid more than oncologists and hematologists who provide the same services in a private office.

Integrating Genetic Counseling Into an Oncology Practice Can Benefit High-Risk Families

February 26th 2014

Genetic counseling-including testing and risk assessment-is one of the most rapidly growing areas of oncology and has become the standard of care for patients with a personal and family history of breast, ovary, or colon cancer.

Minimal Benefits Seen in Medical Home Pilot Program

February 26th 2014

Improvements in quality of care and reductions in hospitalizations were minimal

Transforming Solo Practices Into Accountable Care Organizations

February 25th 2014

More and more solo practices are facing a transformation that is neither small nor simple in the current accountable care environment.

Physician Practices, Health Care Organizations See Own Staff as Source of Security Breaches

February 21st 2014

Results from the final report of the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Security Survey suggest that physician practices and health care organizations such as hospitals view their own staff members as the greatest source of patient information and confidentiality security breaches.

Galena Moves Beyond Pain Relief to Targeted Cancer Treatments

February 20th 2014

Galena Biopharma is looking to expand its presence in the oncology field by developing and acquiring targeted cancer agents.

CMS Bows to Pressure-Conducts End-to-End Testing of ICD-10

February 20th 2014

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is caving to pressure from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) to conduct far more extensive end-to-end testing to assure proper adjudication and payment of claims as the October 1 deadline for the ICD-10 transition looms

Providing Earlier Palliative Care Improves Quality of Life, Patient Satisfaction

February 19th 2014

Traditionally, palliative care for patients with cancer is geared towards end-of-life measures, but a new study from the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto suggests patients who receive palliative care earlier in their cancer therapy report improved quality of life and greater satisfaction.

Despite Access to Health Information Technology, Providers Still Ordering Duplicative Tests

February 17th 2014

Providing access to health information technology and health information exchanges isn't always enough to avoid ordering duplicative tests

Visualizing Cancer Cells With the Help of High-tech Eyewear

February 17th 2014

High-tech eyewear could soon help surgeons remove tumors from patients with breast cancer or melanoma by allowing them to see the margins of tumors more accurately when a dye is used to fluoresce a tumor's borders.

Dr. Ferrajoli on the FDA Approval of Ibrutinib in CLL

February 17th 2014

Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD, discusses the recent approval of ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have received at least one previous therapy.

Unprecedented Changes in Oncology: Toward a New Dawn

February 17th 2014

"Are you making progress?" is one of the questions you are most frequently being asked as an oncologist-even in social settings.

Reducing the Costs of Cancer Might Involve 'Physician Heal Thyself'

February 14th 2014

To reduce the costs of cancer, community oncologists increase the use of evidence-based treatments, standardize care with pathways, transition away from fee-for-service, and change communication with patients about reasonable end-of-life care.

At Issue: IMRT Self-Referral

February 14th 2014

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine sparked controversy and criticism when it claimed that many men received unnecessary radiation therapy for their prostate cancer due to self-referral.

Oncology Practices Face Higher Implementation Costs Than Estimated for ICD-10

February 13th 2014

Oncology practices looking to update their EHR to be ICD-10 compliant are facing an even greater cost than originally estimated.

Innovation in EHR Technology Drives Quality Oncology Care

February 13th 2014

The mantra in oncology over the last several years has revolved around how practices should deal with the myriad of challenges they face: new guidelines and regulations, lower reimbursement and a shift toward value-based patient care.

Regional Cancer Care Associates Joins Onclive's Strategic Alliance Partnership

February 12th 2014

Regional Cancer Care Associates will collaborate with OncLive to develop informative resources for oncology professionals that advance patient care.

Ease of Enrollment, Efficiency Key Factors in Oncologists' Perception of Patient Assistance Programs

February 12th 2014

Biopharmaceutical companies that administer patient assistance programs (PAPs) well in terms of service and support parameters seem to benefit from a halo effect among their oncologist customers, according to "PAP Utilization in Cancer Care," a Cogent Reports survey from Market Strategies International, a market research company.