The 800-Lb. Gorilla: Drug Costs Loom Large In Medicare Oncology Care Model

Drug costs make up 60% of the total cost of cancer care, participants in the Medicare Oncology Care Model have found. But efforts to manage spending under the demonstration have so far focused instead on areas that represent a smaller portion of overall costs, such as hospitalizations.

Mountain gorilla stands in rich vegetation and looks towards camera in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda - Image
Drug Costs Can't Be Overlooked In Cancer Care

After two and a half years, the Medicare demonstration project designed to identify ways of lowering spending on cancer care while supporting quality is exposing the fact that high and rising prescription drug costs have a disproportionate impact on overall expenses.

That will increase the scrutiny of drug spending under the program going forward. It seems unlikely that providers can or...

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