MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Supportive Oncology Services (SOS), Inc. a research-based health-outcomes company specializing in oncology, issued the following statement today regarding the impact of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in the cancer community.
"Appropriate use of PRO information in the community oncology setting and timely intervention can significantly reduce the cost of patient care," according to Steve Coplon, CEO. "Avoidance of hospitalization dramatically reduces costs to treat cancer and improve health outcomes. For example, in our area an acute case requiring hospitalization for febrile neutropenia costs approximately $28,000 per event; hospitalization for anemia costs $23,000 per event; and hospitalization for severe nausea/vomiting costs $13,000 per event."
Dr. Kurt Tauer, Senior Partner with The West Clinic-Memphis states, "Conservatively, we keep over 75 patients per week out of the hospital and emergency room. Many of these avoided admissions are a direct result of patient self-reported assessments we collect via the PACE System(TM) e/Tablet. This crucial information enables our physicians to make appropriate interventions. We hear similar results from other community-based cancer clinics across the country."
The value of PROs in caring for the patient and potentially predicting and avoiding negative outcomes has been recently recognized by the Institute of Medicine (Cancer Care for the Whole Patient, 2008) and research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (J Clin Oncol 26:1355-1363). Additionally, Duke University's Cancer Program recognized the importance of PROs and implemented The PACE System(TM) in research projects across its Oncology Supportive Care department.
In April 2008, SOS announced it had accrued over one million cancer patient self-reported assessments using the PACE(TM) electronic e/Tablet system. Aggregated data from these self-assessments provides a rich resource for oncology research.
"All formal studies of the PACE(TM) System have proven that a more thorough and frequent assessment of the patient occurs when PROs are gathered by e/Tablets," affirms Edward J. Stepanski, PhD, Chief Operating Officer for SOS. "There is increasing recognition that PROs are the most accurate measure of symptoms and side effects. Thus, when clinicians routinely gather more, higher quality data and take action, good things happen for the patient."
For additional information contact Liz Conway, Director of Marketing and Corporate Services, 901-259-0878 or visit www.SupportiveOncologyServices.com.
About Supportive Oncology Services, Inc. (SOS)
Supportive Oncology Services, Inc. (SOS), an information and outcomes company, works closely with community oncology practices and oncology academic centers which provide treatment for over a half million cancer patients across the US. SOS also collaborates with bio-technology and pharmaceutical companies, the financial industry, payers, and other cancer-related industry leaders on diverse clinical, financial, and operational initiatives. By continuously offering improvements, measuring results and providing value, SOS helps define and improve the quality of cancer care provided.
SOURCE Supportive Oncology Services, Inc.
