When asked to name the biggest threats to advancing cancer care, 68 percent of providers said drug expenses and new treatments represented the largest barriers, according to an Association of Community Cancer Centers survey.
The eighth annual 2017 Trending Now in Cancer Care report, conducted in concert with the Advisory Board's Oncology Roundtable, surveyed 290-plus providers across 209 organizations.
Here are five additional findings from the survey.
1. After drugs costs, 47 percent of provider respondents labeled physician alignment around services and programs as a major hindrance to cancer care initiatives, followed by 46 percent of respondents who named shifts in healthcare coverage as the biggest challenge.
2. More than half of respondents said marketplace competition is up for the majority of cancer programs.
3. The No. 1 health IT challenge affecting cancer care is EHR interoperability, according to 37 percent of respondents. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported using at least four EHR platforms, with 80 percent of providers stating EHR systems have increased their workload.
4. More than 80 percent of respondents said the percentage of services requiring prior authorization is up over the past 12 months.
5. Staffing is another challenge for the providers. Sixty percent of respondents said full-time equivalent vacancies hinder cancer care, while 47 percent said they have medical oncologist openings and 35 percent have advanced practitioner vacancies.
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