- This is a complex problem, but it is time to stop talking and take action
- FDA should convene emergency response team for drugs that reach crisis point (e.g., preservative free methotrexate used in pediatric cancers)
- The Administration should convene a Blue Ribbon Panel tasked to deliver an action plan on drug shortages in the next 60 days
- The FDA should work with providers and hospitals to catalogue existing supplies and assure shortage drugs reach the areas of highest priority
Latest news on Drug Shortages
Read ASCO's Drug Shortages Issue Backgrounder
Health Equity (essential health benefits for all cancer patients, oral parity)
- As health reform implementation continues, we need to be sure cancer patients are getting the full range of services to treat their disease. Current concerns about cost may be leading to policies that unfairly target cancer patients.
- The rising cost of cancer care has led a number of private insurers to “tier” copays, leaving cancer patients with hefty—and unsustainable—out of pocket expenses.
- High cost of new oral therapies, which are typically obtained through Medicare Part D or through private pharmacy benefit programs, leaves cancer patients paying increasingly unsustainable copays. This is becoming an access issue.
Latest news on Health Equity
National Recognition for QOPI Measures
- The proliferation of cancer quality measurement programs among private payers and in Medicare has the potential to erode quality. CMS should leverage the investment already made by specialty organizations like ASCO by making these measures the standard for national recognition and quality monitoring programs.
Latest news on Quality
Read ASCO's QOPI Issue Backgrounder
NIH Funding