The American Society of Clinical Oncology urged against using bundled payments to control cancer drug expenses in a recent position statement.
ASCO argues bundled payments for oncology, which include drug costs, don't directly affect the price of medications. The society added oncology bundled payments could prompt situations where providers make "suboptimal or lower value choices."
"While appealing in the abstract to many in the health policy world, such bundles will likely never be sensitive enough in a world of increasing precision-based therapy and heterogeneous patient populations to account for appropriate variation in drug prescribing. ASCO is firm in its belief that no provider should experience financial penalty for providing the right drug to the right patient at the right time."
Bundled payment initiatives for cancer patients are underway at the federal level. In July 2016, CMS launched its five-year Oncology Care Model, one of the first CMS physician-led specialty care models aimed at improving quality and reducing the cost of care. Under the episode-based payment model, providers are paid for a six-month period of care.
For the full statement, click here.