The rising cost of cancer care
23 September 2022
Globally, we’ve seen the number of people diagnosed with cancer increase due to modern lifestyle and environmental factors, an aging population, as well as better methods of cancer detection. But cancer care represents a substantial and rapidly rising healthcare cost.Due to continual research and newer treatments being available, individuals with cancer are now living longer.
Recent studies have shown that patients who self-manage their care, make positive lifestyle changes and adopt healthy behaviors after a cancer diagnosis are more likely to stay in treatment for longer, have better survival outcomes, incur fewer costs to the healthcare system, have a faster return to work time and often return to their previous activities sooner.
Cancer cost factors at a glance:
The impact:
Out-of-pocket expenses incurred by cancer patients can lead to ‘financial toxicity’ - distress or hardship arising from the financial burden of cancer care - which can impact the health and wellbeing of patients and carers during a vulnerable time.
At a time people should be able to focus on their health, additional, recurring and unavoidable costs can become an acute source of stress and worry.
.png)
So how can we address the issue?
Delivering a higher quality of care is correlated to better outcomes and can be addressed in two ways:
- Cost replacement: immediate but short lasting value
- Patient behavior change: latent but longer lasting value
Many studies have looked into the patient behavior change model and have recognised a measurable shift in healthcare to a patient-centric approach. A concept more widely known as participatory health3..
.png)
Numerous academic reports have demonstrated that when patients are actively engaged in their own healthcare they incur lower costs, have improved clinical outcomes, increased patient satisfaction, and better overall health outcomes&4..
CancerAid’s CEO Dr Raghav Murali-Ganesh knows how immensely rewarding patient care is. As a practicing Oncologist, he believes the patient experience could - and should - be 10X better. At CancerAid, we are on a mission to transform the care in cancer by empowering people and organizations impacted by cancer to thrive using expertise, empathy and technology.
Our Approach
Our support programs are designed by doctors, oncologists, health coaches and researchers. Participants have got access to digital tools, dedicated health coaching and evidence-based educational resources. CancerAid allows them to feel supported, informed and in control of health outcomes and their wellbeing.
.png)
Our research speaks for itself. As part of a study, 33% of CancerAid participants reported an improvement in pain, with 48% reporting an improvement in their quality of life5..
Together with our employer and insurer customers, we’ve helped thousands of participants through our cancer support programs with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +84.
References
1. Global Burden of Disease 2019 Cancer Collaboration. Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. JAMA Oncol. 2022;8(3):420–444. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6987
2. Starr, Patty, Craig Kurtzweil. Costly conditions: Identifying and addressing top clinical cost. UnitedHealth Group. March, 2022.
3. Meskó B, deBronkart D. Patient Design: The Importance of Including Patients in Designing Health Care. J Med Internet Res 2022;24(8):e39178. URL: https://www.jmir.org/2022/8/e39178. DOI: 10.2196/39178
4. Vahdat, Shaghayegh et al. “Patient involvement in health care decision making: a review.” Iranian Red Crescent medical journal vol. 16,1 (2014): e12454. doi:10.5812/ircmj.12454
5. Global Burden of Disease 2019 Cancer Collaboration. Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. JAMA Oncol. 2022;8(3):420–444. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.6987
6. Chen J, Mullins CD, Novak P, Thomas SB. Personalized Strategies to Activate and Empower Patients in Health Care and Reduce Health Disparities. Health Educ Behav. 2016 Feb;43(1):25-34. doi: 10.1177/1090198115579415. Epub 2015 Apr 6. PMID: 25845376; PMCID: PMC4681678.
