Community-Based Oncologists Gain Interest in P4P Initiatives

Community-based oncologists support Pay for Performance (P4P) initiatives and are well positioned to participate in these evidence-based treatment programs, according to a new national survey. With the adoption of technology that is required to collect data and generate outcomes, oncologists are willing to embrace new P4P programs. Results of the survey, which was commissioned by OTN, a physician practice services company and distributor of products and services to the community physician market, were presented at the Onmark 2006 National Payor/Provider Forum in San Francisco on September 15, 2006.
Key findings of the survey include: 66 percent believe P4P initiatives will be useful in the practice of oncology and 94 percent believe they will help improve the overall outcomes of cancer patients; 80 percent believe they will participate in a P4P initiative within the next 12 months; 65 percent agree that standardized P4P initiatives, with performance measures that can be quantified, are one of the better ways to provide quality care in oncology; 81 percent believe P4P initiatives will become a reality in oncology; 80 percent stated they would adopt the use of evidence-based standardized treatment guidelines as a part of P4P initiatives; 70 percent believe regimen standardization will help control treatment costs, improve patient outcomes, increase practice efficiencies and lead to the availability of better outcomes data; and 97 percent believe that the adoption and use of technology will be increasingly important in the management of their practices.