CLINICAL NEWS
On Location
American Society of Hematology’s
2014 ANNUAL MEETING
When patients cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for therapy, quality of care also suffers. “Many
studies have shown that patients are non-adherent,
especially to oral chemotherapy, due to cost,” Dr.
Zafar said. “I think of financial toxicity as this
combined harmful impact on patient well-being and
quality of cancer care.”
As much as the problem is multifactorial, so
should the solution be. “We need to see change at
the level of the patient, the provider, and the health
system.”
• Patients need better education and understanding
about costs
The Rising Cost
of Medical Care:
Understanding
the Problems and
Exploring Solutions
ealth-care spending in the
United States is a growing
problem: In 2011, it was estimated at $2.7 trillion, more
than at any previous time in U.S. history and trumping any other developed
nation in the world. The costs of new
drugs – and cancer drugs in particular – are rising at a similarly rapid pace.
Economists, policy experts, politicians,
and practitioners agree that this growth
is unsustainable.
The field of hematologic malignancie