Interactive Clinical Intelligence, Inc.
5707 Corsa Avenue, Suite #101
Westlake Village, CA 91362818-707-9774
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Release
Frequency of Office Visits and Weekly Chemotherapy Expected to Increase in 2006
Westlake Village, CA, May 2, 2006 (PR Newswire) – ICI, Inc., a leading provider of expertise-based oncology market research, reports medical oncologists and office practice managers expect the overall frequency of cancer patient office visits to increase in 2006 compared to 2005.
A recent study indicates that 47% of medical oncologists and 34% of office practice managers expect increases in their use of weekly chemotherapy in 2006 even though new therapies and treatment options allow for less frequent chemotherapy treatments. The study, entitled Impact of MMA, was conducted in late March with 100 community-based medical oncologists and oncology office practice managers from across the country. Impact of MMA evaluates the awareness and impact of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act (MMA) on private practice oncology clinics and their patients.
The MMA was signed into law in December 2003. It puts into action changes for oncology offices that are designed to reduce Medicare spending. Historically, oncologists administering chemotherapy in the outpatient setting were reimbursed by the Average Wholesale Price (AWP) method for drugs. The MMA is aimed at changing this by implementing a phased drug reimbursement plan.
Respondents in the study indicate nearly one-quarter of private insurers have now moved to an Average Sales Price (ASP) based methodology for drugs; most of these insurers are reimbursing at the Medicare rate of ASP plus six percent. Study participants expect the number of private insurers using an ASP-based methodology to double by the end of 2006.
Oncologists and office practice managers both expect that chemotherapy drugs (among a number of drug classes) will represent the greatest financial loss for their practice in 2006 compared to 2005. Meanwhile, twenty-nine percent of oncologists and office practice managers believe their local hospitals will not notice the change in reimbursement to ASP plus six percent for Medicare or make any adjustments based on the change.
Another aspect of the phased drug reimbursement plan is participation in the Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) versus ASP plus six percent reimbursement for drugs. Recently, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) announced a vendor, BioScrip, for this program. While many practices in this study said they do not plan to participate in the CAP program, they indicated a final decision would not be made until the end of 2006.
CMS also initiated the 2006 Medicare Demonstration Project, which will measure how oncology practices follow evidence-based guidelines. Reporting for this project will be associated with cancer evaluation and management visits and not chemotherapy administration services. About three-quarters of the respondents report they have participated in this program to date and no increase in participation is expected for the remainder of 2006.
The objectives of Impact of MMA (to be conducted in four quarterly waves this year) are to:
• Evaluate the awareness and impact of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act on private oncology practices,
• Determine the effect of related practice changes on patient care,
• Assess clinical and operational changes resulting from the act,
• Establish which drugs are affected by the act and how they are effected, and
• Monitor new programs (i.e., such as the CMS demonstration projects) and their effects on practices and patient treatment.
To obtain detailed information or a subscription for the study (which contains more than 135 pages and more than 200 metrics), please contact Greg Hall, PD, JD, LLM at 818707-9771 or ghall@icimrr.com .
About ICI
Interactive Clinical Intelligence (ICI), a Cancer Consultants, Inc. company, is a leading provider of expertise-based oncology market research to the pharmaceutical industry. ICI has conducted hundreds of qualitative and quantitative research projects exclusively in oncology. ICI offers:
• Senior staff members with extensive clinical, market research, and reimbursement experience associated with the pharmaceutical / biotech industry,
• The most comprehensive database of oncology professionals (>90% of the private practice oncologists in the U.S.) that participate in online and off-line programs,
• A full range of customized market research services spanning both quantitative and qualitative studies,
• Syndicated and omnibus research reports on a quarterly basis and
• Consulting services for clinical, product launch, and other healthcare related issues.
About Our Reports
ICI’s syndicated and omnibus research follows key drivers and emerging forces shaping the oncology marketplace on a quarterly basis. These studies span a wide variety of tumor types and therapies and include the following published reports:
• Medical Oncology Report
The Medical Oncology report is a quantitative study providing an in-depth analysis of current attitudes, usage and trends in the treatment of colon, breast, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic and lung cancers.
• Hematology Report
The Hematology report is a quantitative study providing an in-depth analysis of current attitudes, usage and trends in the treatment of NHL, multiple myeloma, MDS, and AML.
• Impact of MMA Report
The Impact of MMA report is a quantitative study that targets medical oncologists and office practice managers in community oncology clinics to track and assess awareness and behavioral changes that result from the implementation of the
Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, new drug administration G-codes, Part D, and the Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP).
• Hospital Dynamics in a Changing Reimbursement Environment Report
This quantitative study consists of responses provided by hospital administrators and hospital pharmacists knowledgeable about the hospital environment and the impact of Medicare reimbursement changes in the hospital setting.
About Cancer Consultants, Inc.
Founded in 1997, Cancer Consultants, Inc. provides comprehensive oncology marketing solutions to cancer care providers, including hospitals, physicians, and the pharmaceutical industry. Cancer Consultants, Inc. consists of four distinct companies: Interactive Clinical Intelligence, Inc., providing a syndicated and primary market research solutions; OncoInteractive, Inc., an interactive agency providing strategic oncology marketing services and publishers of Women&Cancer magazine; OncoEd, Inc., providing medical writing, continuing medical education, and symposiums; and CancerConsultants.com, a Web development and information distribution firm that provides easy access to cancer information. Cancer Consultants, Inc. is based in Ketchum, Idaho.
Contact:
Sugata Biswas
Vice President, ICI
818-707-9774
Email: sbiswas@icimrr.com
Greg Hall
Vice President, ICI
818-707-9771
E-mail: ghall@icimrr.com
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