14 January 2019 - - US-based The American Society of Clinical Oncology Journal has accepted the manuscript, "Reducing Cancer Costs through Symptom Management and Triage Pathways," for publication in its Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP), US-based healthcare improvement specialist Archway Health said.

The manuscript, submitted by executives from Archway Health and colleagues, details the results of a six-month study, that identified significant cost-savings and reductions in unnecessary ER visits and hospitaliaations when cancer patients are proactively engaged, managed and supported throughout the cancer treatment process.

The published manuscript can be read in full by visiting the Journal of Oncology Practice.

The manuscript was authored by Ronald Barkley, M.S., J.D., Cancer Center Business Development Group; Mah-Jabeen Soobader, Ph.D., MPH, Chief Analytics officer, Archway Health; Jun Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Data Scientist, Archway Health; Sibel Blau, M.D. Northwest Medical Specialties; and Ray D. Page, D.O., Ph.D., Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

The study participants were The Center for Blood and Cancer Disorders of Fort Worth, Texas, and Northwest Medical Specialties of Tacoma, Washington.

During the six-month study, the teams identified 222 instances where an ER event was likely avoided as a result of symptom management and triage pathways programmes deployed at the two practices.

The estimated cost savings associated with these avoided ER events was USD 3.85m.

These results were quantified by screening ER triage programme-generated care management records, and validated by an independent analysis of Medicare claim data from the Oncology Care Model program.

The study concluded that deployment of a practice-level integrated platform incorporating physician-scripted symptom management protocols and telephone triage pathways allows for the avoidance of a substantial volume of ER events and associated hospitalisations.

That conclusion can help facilitate estimation of savings associated with value-based oncology care, which has been difficult to date.

Archway Health, founded in 2014 and built on a foundation of healthcare payment reform expertise, works with providers and employers to design and execute care and risk management initiatives that improve care and reduce costs.

Archway is currently working with leading healthcare providers participating in all types of risk-based contracts including Medicare and commercial Accountable Care Organizations, self-insured employers, commercial payers, and CMS Innovation bundled payment programs such as the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement, and the Oncology Care Model.