When practices submit price matches all SWON members benefit! Thanks to the watchful eyes of our members, SWON participating practices are driving down drug costs.
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Lord of the Files
Visit the official blog for guests and subscribers of the Oncology Manager's Briefcase.
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| Contact Us
| Melissa Welch
Southwest Oncology Network
6921 Shoreview Drive
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Keep your Membership Current
If there are changes to your phone number, physical address, primary contact etc. or if your practice merges with another organization, please be sure to notify SWON.
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Oncology Drug Shortage Rising
Over the past year, many cancer centers across the country have experienced a significant growing shortage in their chemotherapy supplies. Although such drug shortages have occurred in the past, this deficit represents 20 chemotherapy drugs, almost twice the number of previous scarcities. Additionally, many of the chemotherapy drugs in short supply this year are widely used generics, which has exacerbated the shortage's impact among cancer care providers.
In response to growing chemotherapy drug shortages nationwide, many of which are reaching crisis proportions, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently announced their support of the Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act. This legislation aims to address chemotherapy drug shortages caused by regulatory and manufacturing issues and would expand the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) authority to require manufacturers to notify the FDA of the nature and expected duration of shortages. Currently, pharmaceutical manufacturers are not legally required to cite reasons for delays or halts in production to the public or the FDA, nor are they required to provide details as to how long drug shortages are expected to last. This law would change that.
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Scientists Discover First Breast Cancer 'Oncogene' For Five Years
Cancer Research UK scientists have pinpointed a key cancer-causing gene that, when overactive, triggers a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer to develop. This is the first time in over five years that scientists have discovered a new breast cancer 'oncogene' - cancer-causing genes that wen overactive upset the normal checks and balances that control when and how often a cell divides. The researchers, based at Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute at the University of Cambridge and at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada, believe testing patients tumours to see if the gene - called 'ZNF703' - is overactive could help identify patients with more aggressive tumours, so their treatment can be tailored accordingly. |
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Cancer Specialists Urged to be Frank with Dying Patients
Associated Press
Patients don't want to hear that they're dying, and doctors don't want to tell them. But new guidance for cancer specialists says they should be up front with patients and far sooner.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology says patients often aren't told about options like comfort care, or even that their chemo has become futile, until the bitter end.
To help families broach the topic, too, the group developed an easy-to-read booklet about choices, from standard care to symptom relief, and what to ask to maximize remaining time.
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Suggested Reading |
Reengineering Health Care
By Jim Champy and Michael Hammer
(as described on amazon.com)
In their legendary book, Reengineering the Corporation, Jim Champy and Michael Hammer introduced businesspeople to the enormous power of a revolutionary methodology called reengineering. Using reengineering, businesses around the world have systematically retooled their processes--achieving dramatic cost savings, greater customer satisfaction, and more value.
Now, Jim Champy and Dr. Harry Greenspun show how to apply the proven reengineering methodology in health care: throughout physician practices, hospitals, and even entire health systems. You'll meet innovative and visionary leaders who've been successfully reengineering organizations across the entire delivery spectrum and learn powerful lessons for improving quality, reducing costs, and expanding access.
This book doesn't just demonstrate the immense potential of health care reengineering to revolutionize health care delivery: it offers a clear roadmap for realizing that potential in your own organization.
For ordering information click here .
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