What Payers are Thinking

Xcenda's recent market research with a group of Managed Care Network advisors who make product access decisions for 120 million covered lives revealed the following insights:

• 81% of payers indicated they will increase active management (designating preferred products, generics first, and other step therapies, pre-certification/prior authorization) for oncology treatments in 2011 and 2012
  
  
• Payers who indicated they are targeting certain tumor types for cost containment specifically identified: stage 3 and 4, breast, lung, colon, prostate, GI, and renal cell

Find out what managed markets decision makers are saying about the use of manufacturer contracts and coinsurance.

How to Accelerate Commercial Success

Manufacturers must consider how increased utilization of coinsurance, as well as rebates for products managed under the medical benefit, will impact patient access. In the coming years, increased patient cost-sharing will present an ongoing challenge to manufacturers in justifying their products’ cost not only to payers but also to patients.

Recent market research has revealed that 81% of payers have seen .... more

What Oncologists are Thinking

During 2009, we presented a clinical scenario to over 270 American medical oncologists who routinely make recommendations concerning adjuvant therapy to patients with recently diagnosed breast cancer. The oncologists were asked what they would plan as adjuvant therapy for a 66-year-old female patient with a T1c, N0, M0, ER+, HER2 not amplified breast cancer. The option of ordering the Oncotype DX^® assay was one of the action options offered.

Our study of treatment plans, relative to ordering the Oncotype DX test before prescribing adjuvant therapy, revealed.....more

Healthcare Reform Update

CMS will hold physician fee schedule claims until after spring recess, creating a dangerously close deadline to address the Medicare "Doc Fix" issue...... read full article