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MD Anderson trying to stem losses

 

The famed and very expensive University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, may lay off staff and cut back research cutbacks after major operating losses, the Houston Chronicle reports.

MD Anderson had  an operating loss of $60.9 million for October, compared to an operating surplus of $11.5 million a year earlier.

IMD Anderson officials have blamed its recent financial woes on such factors as  a costly Epic EHR implementation as well as a decline in the number of potential patients because of restricted insurance coverage.

That could  include cutbacks to its celebrated “Moon Shots” cancer research program, Dan Fontaine, MD Anderson’s executive vice president of administration, told the  Chronicle.

Mr. Fontaine told the paper that the hospital executives are asking physicians “to make it easier for patients to get in the door” through  such efforts as more patient education on MD Anderson’s offerings and easing criteria that can  stop patients from enrolling in medical trials or receiving care at the hospital.

Mr. Fontaine noted an improved financial picture in November as a result of belt-tightening and promotion.

To read the Chronicle story, please hit this link.

 


Community hospitals working with renown cancer-care centers

dana

Part of Dana-Farber Cancer Center, in Boston.

A  growing number of community hospitals are joining forces with such famed National Cancer Institute-designated centers as Houston-based MD Anderson  and Boston-based Dana-Farber to expand access to state-of-the-art oncology care.

And in an increasingly competitive market, association with a brand-name cancer center helps attract patients.

As Modern Healthcare notes, “Cancer treatments are increasingly complex and tailored to the individual, and the best treatment must tap into medical advances that harness the power of genetics or the immune system. That highly specialized knowledge is usually found in the nation’s pre-eminent cancer centers.

“Yet patients increasingly desire to access their care closer to home where it is less expensive, which matters a lot as the price of cancer drugs skyrockets and an increasing number of patients are in high-deductible health insurance plans. When community hospitals join forces with the experts at cancer centers, they can tap those resources and expertise for patients with complex cases without having to send them away for more expensive treatment.”

Thus such alliances can boost the operating margins of community hospitals in these very competitive times.

To read the Modern Healthcare article, please hit this link.


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