The 2017 Trending Now in Cancer Care Survey marks the eighth year of an annual ACCC survey designed to identify current and emerging trends across U.S. cancer programs. The comprehensive survey was conducted in partnership with Advisory Board's Oncology Roundtable. More than 290 respondents from 209 organizations participated in the 2017 survey, which provides insights into nationwide developments in the business aspects of cancer care.
Cost of drugs and new treatment modalities identified as top threat to cancer program growth. The majority of respondents (68 percent) selected cost of drugs and/or new treatment modalities as the biggest threat to program growth, followed by physician alignment around services and programs (47 percent), and changes in healthcare coverage (46 percent).
Marketplace competition and consolidation continues. Over half of respondents reported that marketplace competition has increased. The top reason cited for marketplace consolidation: to maintain and/or grow market share.
EHR interoperability challenges and workload impact are top concerns. Thirty-seven percent cite EHR interoperability as the number one IT challenge. One in four report using four or more EHR platforms. For 80 percent of respondents, EHR systems have increased their physician and staff workloads.
Increasing pre-authorization demands. Over the past 12 months, more than 80 percent say percentage of services needing pre-authorizations has increased.
Staffing challenges. More than half (60 percent) report FTE vacancies for oncology nurses; nearly half (47 percent) have medical oncologist vacancies; and 1 in 3 (35 percent) have openings for advanced practitioners.
The full 2017 Trending Now in Cancer Care Survey is available to ACCC members only.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Provider Resources.
