Issues Involved in Providing Quality and Optimal Care for the Cancer Patient in the Era of Cost Containment

Abstract

With increasing emphasis on cost containment in the health care field there is legitimate concern that the quality of medical care provided by health professionals and hospitals will deteriorate. There is no area of medicine where this fear is more evident than in the care of the patient with malignant disease. Treatment is often palliative, making quality difficult to evaluate and the costs of therapy and supportive care are among the highest in the health care arena. In the future it can be anticipated that the conflict between cost and the provision of quality/optimal care for the patient with or suspected to have cancer will increase.