National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship: Expense-Paid Training Opportunity on Oral Chemotherapy Adherence

Expense-Paid Training Opportunity on Oral Chemotherapy Adherence

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) and the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) are pleased to host a Train-the-Trainer conference on cancer oral medication adherence at the NASW National Office in Washington, DC on Wednesday June 15, 2011. This one-day conference will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills necessary to train their colleagues in promoting adherence to cancer oral medication among patients and their family members. 30 people will be selected to participate in this one-day training, which will be led by social work, nursing and pharmacy professionals. Preference will be given to team applications. Expenses related to the conference (travel, lodging and meals) will be covered by NASW. In the 12 months following the conference, each attendee will be required to train at least 20 of his/her professional peers. Applications Due: Monday, April 25th . Click here to download the application materials.

Understanding How Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Treatment Value, and Patient Characteristics Influence Treatment Choices -- U.S.

"The study used a convenience sample of patients undergoing surveillance following curative treatment for localized cancer who completed a paper survey to estimate the maximum copayment patients are willing to pay for better treatment outcomes. Results suggest that patients may be less willing to pay high copayments for treatments with modest benefit. In addition, sociodemographic factors such as education and employment status were associated with willingness to pay." "In conclusion, this study demonstrates that it is feasible to measure cancer patients' WTP (willingness to pay) for treatments in both the adjuvant and palliative settings. In addition, our results support the hypothesis that cancer patients' WTP for treatment may be influenced by both sociodemographic factors and their assessment of the treatment's value. If confirmed in a larger, more heterogeneous population, these findings suggest that insurance benefit designs based on treatment value may be feasible for cancer treatment. However, they also highlight the risk that higher out-of-pocket expenses may contribute to socioeconomic disparities in cancer care."

U.S. Programs that Can Help You Pay Your Medical Expenses