Download Medicaid cancer patients incur higher end-of-life costs

The monthly update of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance.
January 2015
Alliance Highlights
Register for colon cancer action-planning meeting
Building on work begun October 10 at the Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, the Minnesota Cancer
Alliance is partnering with the American Cancer Society and the Minnesota Department of Health
to convene an action-planning meeting to help accelerate Minnesota’s colon cancer screening
rates. Scheduled for March 4, 8 a.m. - noon, at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott, the meeting will
focus on provider education, patient engagement and follow-up care for the uninsured. Dr.
Richard Wender, Chief Cancer Control Officer of the American Cancer Society and Chair of the
National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, will be the featured speaker.
To register, RSVP by Friday, February 20, 2015.
Partner Updates
MNCM seeks workgroup participants for new cancer
care measure
Minnesota Community Measurement is looking for individuals interested in helping to develop a
new measure in the area of cancer care, especially regarding symptom management during
chemotherapy and/or radiation. Participants representing the following stakeholder groups are
sought: 6 – 8 clinical providers (physicians and allied health providers), 1 data analyst, 1 quality
improvement professional or clinic administrator, 2 health plan representatives, 1 state agency
(MDH/DHS) representative, 1 consumer, and 1 employer. Anyone interested in participating or
nominating someone should complete the online form. Recruitment runs through January 30.
Honoring Choices Minnesota featured in journal
Sue Schettle, CEO of the Twin Cities Medical Society and chair of the Alliance’s Advance Care
Planning workgroup, is co-author of an article about Honoring Choices Minnesota published online
in December by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Co-authors are Kent Wilson, MD,
medical director of TCMS, and Thomas Kottke, MD, Health Partners Institute for Education and
Research. The authors draw on data from eight metropolitan healthcare systems to analyze endof-life care. They found that 70% of patients say that they would prefer to die at home, but
nearly 76% die in an institution.
Worth Noting
January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
Take advantage of January to highlight how preventable cervical cancer can be. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention has tools to help raise public awareness: New! Vital Signs, New!
Infographics, a fact sheet, and a gynecologic cancer comprehensive brochure.
Webinar offered on screening guidelines
Dr. Debbie Saslow of the American Cancer Society will discuss ACS’ cervical cancer screening
guidelines and best practices during a Jan. 21 webinar. Dr. Saslow directs the scientific content of
the American Cancer Society’s breast and gynecologic cancer policies, materials, interventions,
and communications. She managed the review and update of the Society’s guidelines for the
early detection of both breast and cervical cancer as well as HPV vaccination. For more
information or to RSVP, contact Matt Flory at [email protected] or 651-255-8190.
New Surgeon General confirmed
After more than a year in waiting, Dr. Vivek Murthy was confirmed in December as the country’s
19th surgeon general. Murthy succeeds Dr. Boris Lushniak.
Minnesota places sixth in overall health
Minnesota was positioned sixth among the 50 states by America’s Health Rankings in 2014.
The report highlights Minnesota as having the fewest cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 people,
second in fewest days of poor physical health, and second in fewest years lost due to premature
death. The report also underscores ongoing challenges for Minnesota such as a high percentage
of adults who engage in binge drinking and disparities in health status among racial groups.
Smoking banned at in-home daycares in St. Louis
County
Beginning New Year’s Day, in-home daycares in St. Louis County will be smoke-free all day,
every day, even when children are not in the home.
Lung-MAP offering a new model for clinical trials
Lung-MAP (Lung Cancer Master Protocol) is a first-of-its-kind clinical trial model that uses a
multi-drug, targeted screening approach to match patients with sub-studies testing
investigational new treatments based on their unique tumor profiles. This new collaboration
allows patients to receive better access to promising new drugs, shared information and
infrastructure. Hundreds of sites across the United States are planned to open in the next few
months.
Simple blood test being developed for early breast
cancer detection
A research team at Oxford University has worked to develop a metal-detecting blood test that
potentially can be used in early diagnosis of breast cancer. The researchers focused on
differences in zinc compositions in patients with and without breast cancer.
Education Programs and Events
FDA workshop on e-cigarettes and public health
Register now for FDA’s March 9-10 workshop on electronic cigarettes and public health. The
purpose of this workshop, open to the public, is to gather scientific information and stimulate
discussion among scientists about the growing e-cigarette trend. More information is available
from the FDA.
Resources and Publications
Ring in the New Year with quit smoking resources
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a quit smoking page of resources
to help smokers make good on New Year’s resolutions. Setting goals and taking even a first step
can improve the chances of quitting for good.
Survivorship tools available online
Now in its fifth year, the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center offers a wealth of
resources for cancer survivors, caregivers, health care professionals, and the advocacy
community.
Medicaid cancer patients incur higher end-of-life costs
A recent health services research project entitled “End-of-Life Medical Costs of Medicaid Cancer
Patients” found that costs during the final four months of life were about $10,000 higher for
Medicaid cancer patients than for those without cancer. The authors conclude that the increased
cost may reflect the cost of palliative care.
Improve community health through hospital-public
health collaboration
A study released by the University of Kentucky entitled “Models of Collaboration Involving
Hospitals, Public Health Departments, and Others” delivers recommendations and insights to help
leaders of public and private organizations and policy makers build successful partnerships.
Smoking still accounts for 30% of cancer deaths
A study conducted by the American Cancer Society found that despite significant drops in
smoking rates, cigarettes continue to cause about three in ten cancer deaths in the United
States. The study, published in the Annals of Epidemiology, concludes that reducing smoking
prevalence should be a top priority for US public health efforts.
Announcements
Abstracts for Asian Oncology Summit due January 9
Abstracts for posters and short oral presentations are now being accepted for the 7TH Annual
Asian Oncology Summit entitled, “Cause and Effect: Aetiology and Medicine Working Together to
Improve Health.“
RWJF call for New Connections proposals
January 21, 2015 is the deadline for proposals for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New
Connections: Increasing Diversity of RWJF Programming. The program aims to expand the
diversity of perspectives that inform RWJF programming and introduce new researchers and
scholars to the Foundation. Applications and more information are available for junior
investigators or midcareer professionals.
Moving Forward Together planners looking for
breakout session proposals
Minnesota’s State Innovation Model (SIM) grantees, health care home providers and other
community partners will gather in St. Cloud May 12-14 for a conference that aims to build
healthy Minnesota communities. Achieving that goal requires great presentations. Don’t delay:
The deadline for submissions is January 16.
Working Together is published monthly to provide Alliance members with timely information
about comprehensive cancer control topics. We invite you to share the update with colleagues,
and we invite your contributions. Brief Alliance highlights and announcements about upcoming
partner programs, events, and new resources should be submitted by the 15th of the month to
[email protected].
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance is a coalition of health organizations, community groups and
volunteers dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer for all Minnesotans. Since 2005, its
members have pursued five overarching goals: to PREVENT cancer from occurring; to DETECT
cancer at its earliest stages; to help patients ACCESS effective therapy; to OPTIMIZE quality of
life; and to ELIMINATE disparities across the cancer care continuum. The Alliance is guided by a
statewide steering committee representative of member organizations.
For additional information regarding the Minnesota Cancer Alliance, please visit our website at
mncanceralliance.org.
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