Episode 8 - Impact of Payment Reform on Prostate Cancer Treatment

Dr Dunn invites fellow panelists to discuss the role of payment reform in managing prostate cancer. He suggests that better-aligned incentives will allow payers and providers to make better decisions about medications or other treatment options.

“We need to change the payment model to lower the reimbursement for medications, but increase the reimbursement for cognitive services and the other things that our providers do for our members,” Dr Dunn says. He adds that providers need to take some responsibility in sharing the risk with other stakeholders.

Dr Kolodziej responds that while the Affordable Care Act has “charted the course,” many providers may still need convincing about new care models.

“You’re going to be accountable for both the cost and quality of care that you deliver to your prostate cancer patients, and that goes from the moment that you screen them to what you decide is their treatment modality to how you treat their advanced disease… every single step,” he says. “What you’re going to do is going to be under the microscope of your risk-bearing entity and that’s going to be your ACO or integrated delivery system, and talk about a dramatic change in dynamics. We won’t be having this talk. You’ll be having it with them.”