Addressing Cancer Treatment Costs With Patient-Provider Communication

Clayton Irvine, PharmD, MBA, MS, senior manager of oncology care at Mayo Clinic, discusses the challenge of balancing quality patient care with rising health care costs. He emphasizes the increasing need for health care providers to consider the financial implications of treatments alongside their benefits. Irvine suggests that while evidence-based practice and quality standards remain crucial, providers must become more comfortable discussing costs with patients.

He encourages clinicians to educate themselves on cost-effective options and engage in these crucial conversations while still practicing evidence-based medicine. Irvine stresses the importance of providers continuing to offer resources and support to patients navigating these financial challenges, acknowledging how the situation has worsened in recent years.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Transcript

How are providers and medical centers working to reduce the cost burden on patients and the health care system while still providing quality care?

I think that it is a balancing act, and I don't think that there is one right answer or one wrong answer. I think as more and more therapies and treatments come to the market, we as health care providers have an obligation to really look at the value that it brings, and we have to weigh the benefit to the patients as well as the financial piece.

I think there was a time, in a lot of practices, where we just wanted to do what was right and we said the cost piece, we wouldn't want to worry about it. Well, as treatments have gotten more and more expensive, we have to take a step back, and we have to really put that factor into it.

When we're evaluating therapies and treatments, the evidence-based practice, the quality standards that have always been there, they need to remain in place, but we need to be more comfortable being uncomfortable, and that uncomfortable piece is really having those conversations, having those discussions with patients, and not being afraid to talk about the financial piece.

A lot of times, patients are really scared to initiate those conversations, but when you take that first leap, and you do that, patients will open up to you, and you learn more than you maybe thought was in front of you. I think that that's where we can then have a really big impact. I would just encourage clinicians and providers to really take the time to learn, go to seminars, educate yourself, and then engage and have those conversations with patients, while continuing to practice with value-based and evidence-based medicine.

How have you seen rising cancer care costs impact patients?

I have definitely seen those rising costs impact patients and families. When patients are in the first year of a cancer treatment, costs can soar more than 6 figures sometimes, in certain disease groups, and so patients are left with really hard decisions [and] families are left with really tough choices. Additionally, patients have a lot of stress going through treatment, a lot of undue burden when their focus should really be on other aspects of care and the treatment pathways. Patients are also really worried about costs, and it affects every part of their well-being. It affects their mental capacity, and it affects their physical abilities.

I think that we as health care providers have to continue to provide those resources and have those conversations with patients. It definitely has not gotten better over the past few years. I would say that we've definitely seen an increase of patients really struggling with this. So again, I'm really excited to be here and talk about this today.