Closing Remarks and Final Considerations

During the final segment of this program, part of the Oncology Stakeholders Summit, Spring 2015 series, Bruce Feinberg, DO, asks Scott Gottlieb, MD; Brian Kiss, MD; Michael Kolodziej, MD; and Ted Okon, MBA, to further consider how the issues discussed throughout this program could be addressed.

Dr Gottlieb discusses the consolidation of the healthcare market and explains why efforts to avoid consolidation are necessary. He projects that unlike previous cycles of consolidation, the current wave of consolidation of community practices into hospital settings is likely to be irreversible. Physicians won’t be able to rebound, extricate themselves from relationships with hospitals, and open their own practices.

Payers and providers need to improve their relationships with each other, emphasizes Dr Kiss. A collaborative effort can improve the delivery of patient care and can be helpful in the establishment of more effective ways to control the cost of cancer care, he says.

Dr Kolodziej and Mr Okon note that there has been much innovation in the treatment of cancer, and Dr Kolodziej adds that oncologists are currently able to do more for their patients than ever before. Mr Okon remarks that limitations and issues such as faulty reimbursement policies are likely to affect future innovation if not addressed, and he calls out the 340B Drug Pricing Program as an example of a reimbursement program that needs to be reworked.

Additionally, Dr Kolodziej suggests that the nation has become too comfortable, given its success in providing quality care to patients. He believes that the changing healthcare environment, and its use of performance-based measurement, should be welcomed as an opportunity to prove that the nation provides great care to patients and can help create a sustainable healthcare system.