Charlotte-Area Oncologists Are Speaking Out.

From The Charlotte Observer, August 19, 2010: "Cancer patients could be hurt, we fear, by healthcare reform"

From 10 Charlotte-area oncologists (Drs. James Boyd, Geoffrey Chapman, David Eagle, Justin Favaro, Richard Foulke, Richard Krumdieck, Timothy Kuo, Lance Lassiter, Alfred Newman, Grant Taylor):

As our knowledge about cancer increases, treatments for cancer are becoming more advanced. We know that each cancer has many subtypes. We have the ability to effectively treat the many different cancer subtypes based on individual characteristics, such as unique protein expression or genetic mutations. While these treatments can be costly, they have been proven to extend the lives of cancer patients while preserving a high quality of life. We are troubled by the new health care reform law that will restrict treatment options for cancer patients.

One example of this restriction has already been modeled elsewhere. In England, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not permit the use of many of the newer, more expensive drugs. Data from multiple studies as recent as 2008 and dating as far back as the 1950s demonstrate that cancer survival is higher in the United States compared with England. Yet the U.S. health care reform law calls for the formation of a 15-member panel appointed by the president which will function similar to NICE in England. It is easy to imagine that there will be rulings to restrict the use of current effective drugs in order to save money. Despite the ability of these drugs to control cancer and extend life, we fear that many of them may not be available to our patients if treatment decisions become medical cost-containment decisions made by a board.

Another cost saving proposal in the new health care reform bill is the formation of Accountable Care Organizations. A recent document from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defines an ACO as an organization of health care providers accountable for the quality, cost, and overall care of the beneficiaries assigned to it. In other words, a group of at least 5,000 patients will be assigned to a group of doctors who will be responsible for a range of services, including primary and specialty care.

How can an ACO save money? During each 12-month period, if the amount spent on patient care by the ACO is below a benchmark, the physicians and other employees working in the ACO will share in the savings. It is inappropriate to create incentives for physicians to avoid current advanced treatments in order to save money. We believe the first priority for physicians should be to choose the medically appropriate treatment that best serves each patient.

The 15-member panel appointed by the president and the spending deterrents within ACOs are just two ways the new health care reform law will attempt to save money at the expense of quality patient care. Studies prove that similar cost-saving measures used in England end up costing lives.

We suggest that health care be spared from government cost-saving measures. A fair, private health care market will save money and has proven to be more effective at extending the lives of cancer patients.