Colon Cancer Screening Saves More Money

With the increasing expense of treating colorectal cancer, treatment cost savings in the near future will more than double when screening prevents colon and rectal cancers or finds them early.

Looking at expense for an entire population, all screening methods except colonoscopy cost less than treating those cancers that developed, and the net cost of colonoscopy screening fell from over $1,300 to less than $300 per individual in the population. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on October 22nd, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | 2 Comments »
Tags: colorectal cancer screening, health care costs

This Week’s Colorectal Cancer News in Brief: January 30

This week’s reports include information about mismatch repair genes in stage IV colorectal cancer, colon surgery complications for very obese patients, and the impact of computerization on hospital outcomes.

In addition, there are links to the Surgeon General’s new Family Health Portrait and a report from Families USA on health care insurance costs for laid off workers. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on January 30th, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: health care costs, Insurance, weekly briefs

KRAS Testing Has Potential to Save Millions in Health Care Costs

Update from the 2009 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium

Over half a billion dollars could potentially be saved if all patients with colorectal cancer that had spread were tested for the KRAS gene before beginning treatment.

Because patients with mutated KRAS in their tumors don’t benefit from treatment with EGFR inhibitors Erbitux® (cetuximab) and Vectibix™ (panitumumab), offering them those drugs is a futile expense.  In addition, trying the drugs delays potentially effective treatment and exposes patients to skin rash and other unnecessary side effects. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on January 21st, 2009
Posted in: Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: health care costs, KRAS

US Health Care Spending Growth Slowed in 2007

Although US health care spending grew more slowly in 2007, its rate still outpaced general economic growth.  Total health care costs in 2007 reached $2.2 trillion or $7,421 for every American.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a report from the CMS Office of the Actuary on Tuesday that showed overall health care spending grew at a 6.1 percent rate in 2007, down from 6.7 in 2006 and the slowest rate of growth since 1998.  Overall economic growth was 4.8 percent.

Health care spending’s share of the Gross Domestic Product continued to increase, reaching 16.2 percent, an increase of 0.2 percent over 2006. Continue reading…

Posted by Kate Murphy on January 7th, 2009
Posted in: Policy & Advocacy News, Research & Treatment News | No Comments »
Tags: CMS, health care costs