Becker's Hospital Review

11 Sign up for the COMPLIMENTARY Becker's Hospital Review CEO Report & CFO Report E-Weeklies at www.BeckersHospitalReview.com or call (800) 417-2035 benefits, says Mr. Belokrinitsky of Booz & Company. "By and large, when you talk to stakeholders, it's not so much that they want to cut costs but control how costs are spent and transition them toward more value-based reimbursements." Mr. Belokrinitsky says health plans are going to hospitals and oncology practices more often, asking providers to implement clinical protocols for cancer treatments to reduce variability. The protocols are developed by a third-party central authority and designed to be supple, allowing physicians to prescribe treatments on a case-by-case basis. Also, for these programs, payors typically reward physicians with bonus payments that are processbased, not outcomes-based. For instance, if an oncology practice implements a protocol and complies with it for 80 percent of cases — the designated threshold — those providers may receive bonus payments for simply implementing the guidelines in that portion of cases. Here are a few other avenues payor sand providers are exploring to better control cancer care's costs. Clinical protocols. Back in 2010, Aetna and US Oncology compared treatment costs among oncologists who treated certain lung cancer patients with clinical guidelines compared with those physicians who administered treatment independently. The findings? Treatment costs for a year-long period were 35 percent lower when physicians adhered to clinical standards, with no negative affect on patients. Clinical guidelines present a few challenges, though. One is simply their complexity and a lack of standardization. For instance, a hospital's cancer center might follow clinical protocols from their local Blue Cross Blue Shield. Months Five hospitals. ™ One thing in common. Meet our 5 Rings Award winners. LDS Hospital Salt Lake City, Utah • Operated by Intermountain Healthcare Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska • Ellis Hospital Schenectady, New York • Operated by Ellis Medicine Boston Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts • University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, Ohio • Operated by UC Health Through their vigilance and uncompromising commitment to safety, these organizations maintained the highest levels of vendor compliance out of thousands of healthcare facilities. As the providers of the Reptrax™ system, IntelliCentrics is proud to have been able to play a role in ensuring the safety of these facilities. As such, we'll be providing each winning facility with a congratulatory financial grant. To learn more about these compliance management successes, and how you can be considered for next year's 5 Rings Award, visit www.IntelliCentrics.com/5rings/beckers

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