Skin cancer is no small component of the overall cancer costs and should not be left out of the top conditions most expensive to treat

CARY, NC, UNITED STATES, March 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Rather than focus on the big picture of cutting costs, some companies are designing benefits that specifically target certain conditions.

Cancer is one of the most expensive conditions to treat, driving about 20 percent of a company’s healthcare spending.

The number of Americans who have had skin cancer at some point in the last three decades is estimated to be higher than the number for all other cancers combined, and skin cancer incidence rates have continued to increase.

Skin cancer is no small component of the overall cancer costs and should not be left out of the top conditions most expensive to treat. Each year in the United States, nearly 5 million people are treated for all skin cancers combined, with an annual cost estimated at $8.1 billion.
Skin cancer also results in significant costs beyond those related to treatment. Annual costs associated with lost workdays and restricted-activity days are estimated at $76.8 million for Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer and $29.4 million for melanoma.

Companies want to get patients to the right place for treatment based on the type of cancer they have.
Top echelon cancer treatment centers are designated as Centers of Excellence, and companies can contract for services with them directly or through their insurance provider.

Currently, 40 percent of large companies use Centers of Excellence for cancer care, up 10 percent over the past two years, according to the National Business Group on Health (NGBH), a nonpartisan research group for large employers.

Employers across the country have discovered the improved performance of their workforce by concentrating on providing quality, accessible healthcare, and predictable prices. Center of Excellence’s popularity has increased due to its demonstrated ability to provide better outcomes for patients with greater efficacy at lower, more reasonable costs.

The trends that industry watchers have identified found a significant increase in the percentage of employers looking into COEs within a health plan. The idea is for companies to encourage their workers to seek care at high-quality providers.

Quality and cost variation is pervasive and plagues the U.S. health care delivery system. Centers of Excellence (COEs) are one strategy for steering employees to health care providers who practice efficiently, at a high quality, for reasonable and predictable prices.

Recognizing the need for a Center of Excellence in Mohs Micrographic Surgery nationally, Surgical Review Corporation, SRC, a nonprofit, patient safety organization that accredits the top surgical facilities and medical professionals awarded accreditation to Cary Skin Center as a Center of Excellence in Mohs Micrographic Surgery. It is the first in the United States to achieve this recognition.

Established in 2003, SRC is a nonprofit, patient safety organization that develops and administers best-in-class accreditation programs for medical professionals, surgeons, hospitals, and freestanding outpatient facilities throughout the world.

These programs improve the safety and quality of patient care and lower the overall costs associated with successful treatment. Data, provided by program participants, is used to determine which treatments achieve the best outcomes. This information enables clinicians, patients, payors, and policymakers to make informed decisions that improve health care delivery.

Mohs micrographic surgery continues to be the most advanced and effective treatment procedure available for skin cancer. The goal of the procedure is to remove the skin cancer completely while minimizing the removal of uninvolved healthy tissue. It is performed under local anesthesia on an out-patient basis.

Advantages of Mohs surgery are highest cure rate (97-99%), entire margin evaluated, fewer recurrences, leaves the smallest surgical defect possible, preserves the maximal amount of tissue, increases the chance of a good aesthetic result, the most cost-effective treatment of select tumors and is done in the Outpatient setting, with local anesthesia, pathology included.

Mohs surgery is performed by a specially trained dermatologist (who serves as surgeon, pathologist, and reconstructive surgeon) and who has completed a one-to-two-year certified surgical fellowship. In October 2018, the American Board of Medical Specialties approved the application by the American Board of Dermatology to create the Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS) subspecialty. The first nationwide administration of the exam was held in October 2021. Now employers can look for Board Certification in MDS as well.

COEs have been known to be the best at what they do, whether it is cardiac care, joint replacements, cancer care, or another medical practice. Offering the complete continuum of care for conditions like cancer and diabetes, COEs have committed to providing treatment at lower costs when compared to less specialized facilities.

COEs have traditionally covered procedures that are high cost for individual patients and are complex. For these conditions, like skin cancer surgery with Mohs micrographic surgery, patients are more willing to travel for the high- quality outcomes. Time-limited procedures are more easily reimbursed via bundled payments, which are incorporated into many COE contracts to ensure appropriate coordination of care back in the community and increase the predictability of costs.

An employer-sponsored Center of Excellence benefit typically has $0 member cost to go to the designated center for treatment, including surgery.

Cary Skin Center Is inviting innovative partnerships focused on reducing employers' healthcare costs.

Parker Eales
CARY SKIN CENTER
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.