AHIP Medicaid Summit 2013: Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions Chief Medical Officer Says Collaboration, New Delivery Models Are Key to Bending the Cost Curve in Cancer Care

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Sep 24, 2013, 08:30 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As Medicare and Medicaid brace for a continued influx of beneficiaries – many of whom are older and more likely to have chronic conditions including cancer – all players across the continuum of care need to work together, now, to implement innovative new care delivery models that can improve the predictability and quality of care, while driving down costs.

That's the key message Bruce Feinberg, D.O., chief medical officer for Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, will deliver at the America’s Health Insurance Plans’ (AHIP) Medicaid Summit taking place Sept. 25-26 in Washington, D.C., in his session entitled "Managing Oncology in Medicaid Populations."

Feinberg maintains that although Medicaid has historically, primarily served young women and children, the Affordable Care Act is likely to alter those demographics, expanding Medicaid coverage to a much larger number of Americans than ever before. Feinberg asserts that with that shift in Medicaid demographics will also likely come an increase in Medicaid spending to treat cancer and other chronic diseases.

Feinberg's session will provide a comprehensive overview of critical elements and considerations for managing cancer in Medicaid populations. He will explore the differences between Medicaid and commercial populations, including shifts in disease prevalence, innovative uses of specialty pharmacy delivery programs, and physician use of decision support technology.

Feinberg will also discuss how:

The integration of specialty pharmacy services into a clinical pathways program can reduce costs, improve quality and provide more comprehensive oncology management.
Clinical pathways programs can help migrate cancer care from hospital settings to more cost-efficient community settings; reduce emergency room visits and other avoidable hospitalizations; decrease cancer care variability and increase quality.
Providing physicians with access to a specialty pharmacy program can help to improve the acquisition price for medications, improve service and reliability for drug replacement and reduce administrative burdens related to prior authorization.

"The Affordable Care Act and other factors are leading to more people being treated for cancer and other chronic diseases, for a longer period, with more expensive medications, in more expensive sites of care. These trends have created the need for dramatic changes in the way health care is delivered in this country," said Feinberg. "Collaboration is needed – across the continuum of care – to avoid unnecessary care, to align incentives, to deliver care in the most cost-effective setting and to become more predictive about how care will be delivered. Only by working together to address these issues can we create a more sustainable health care delivery system."

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions provides clinical, reimbursement and distribution services to help health care professionals, payors and pharmaceutical companies deliver quality, cost-effective care to patients with complex diseases. Since launching the industry's first clinical pathways program for Oncology in 2008, and the first clinical pathways program for Rheumatology in 2011, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions has partnered with nine health insurance companies to launch Clinical Pathways programs in 12 states and Washington, D.C. Its Clinical Pathways programs have also been proven to help insurers improve patient outcomes and physician engagement while reducing annual aggregate costs related to treating breast, colon and lung cancers.

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions also provides proprietary technology, tools, educational programs and training to help doctors within payor networks implement and monitor use of clinical pathways. Its medical benefit management system, PathWare™ Decision Transaction Solutions, makes it easier for physicians to participate in clinical pathways programs and provides physicians with real-time decision support at the point of care, including easy access to clinical pathways for various types of cancer. The tool also removes many of the administrative burdens that are associated with treating patients whose treatment plans require specialty medications, which often require physicians to obtain approval prior to prescribing. It also captures clinical results and tracks cost savings of pathways – without additional administrative work.

About Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions provides clinical, reimbursement, technology and distribution services that help health care professionals, payers and pharmaceutical and biotech companies improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of caring for patients who are managing complex diseases. Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions helps customers alleviate day-to-day administrative burdens, optimize business functions and partner to implement new innovations that move their businesses forward. To learn more, visit www.cardinalhealth.com/specialtysolutions.

About Cardinal Health

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $101 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 100,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 34,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com and @CardinalHealth on Twitter.