EDU 55 - Data to Dollars: A Radiation Oncologist's Role in Advocating for the Financial Future of Our Patients and Our Field
MODERATOR(S)
Alden D'Souza, MD, MPHS - Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis
session DESCRIPTION
Financial toxicity, defined by the NCI as, "the problems a patient has related to the cost of medical care," is a burden across all medical care. Patients with cancer and their families are at increased risk of financial toxicity compared to other medical conditions. Estimates indicate up to half of patients diagnosed with cancer experience financial toxicity. High direct costs (driven by increasing costs of targeted and immunotherapies along with skyrocketing costs of insurance) alongside indirect costs such as transportation and extended time away from work, cumulatively lead to financial instability and worse outcomes for patients. Over the last decade the understanding of and ability to assess patient's financial burden has taken leaps. This session puts into action the data driven research aimed at addressing the financial harm caused to patients and engages in active discussion of the cost-benefit of various approaches to cancer care, including the value and impact of radiotherapy. With current trends of rising health care costs and worsening coverage, this session demonstrates the impact of introducing validated short screening tools into the clinic to identify patients at financial risk. Attendees will be equipped with tools to start the conversation with patients, communities, providers and health care organizations toward highlighting both 1) the value that radiotherapy provides and 2) evidence-based strategies to ameliorate financial toxicity in patients. Our expert panel will give attendees a deeper understanding of financial toxicity's harm and the value proposition of radiotherapy to reduce financial burden within the context of rising health care costs.
learning objectives
- Discuss how different aspects of cancer treatment contribute to financial toxicity and the cost-effectiveness of radiation.
- Estimate the financial burden that patients will experience during and after their treatment using validated patient-reported outcome tools.
- Apply their understanding of financial toxicity to make improvements to the financial burden of patients at their institutions.
Credits
| AMA PRA Category 1 Credits: | 1.00 |
Presentations
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05:15pm - 05:17pm ETSpeaker: Alden D'Souza, MD, MPHS - Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis
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05:17pm - 05:32pm ET
Policy Solutions to Addressing Financial Toxicity: How Health Policy Impacts Affordability and What We Can Do About It
Speaker: Justin Barnes, MD, MS - Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Rochester -
05:32pm - 05:47pm ETSpeaker: Ashish Patel, MD, MBA - Emory University, Atlanta
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05:47pm - 06:02pm ETSpeaker: Kamaria Lee, MD - MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
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06:02pm - 06:15pm ETSpeaker: Alden D'Souza, MD, MPHS - Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Saint Louis