After the implementation of a virtual tumor board, order and claims for hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer increased significantly (JCO Oncol Pract. 2020;OP2000480. doi:10.1200/OP.20.0048).
“The [virtual tumor board] is a multidisciplinary group of specialist physicians who remotely educate the treating physician on the development of an evidence-based cancer treatment plan that will enhance patient outcomes according to the available literature,” wrote Adam Powell, PhD, HealthHelp, Houston, TX and colleagues.
Hypofractionated RT use is encouraged by the virtual tumor board and the preferred treatment approach according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.
Prior authorization and claims data were analyzed in an observational, cohort study to show how the use of hypofractionated RT changed after the enactment of the virtual tumor board. Orders and claims from 1 year before launch to 1 year after launch were examined to observe which patients received conventional fractionated RT compared with hypofractionated RT.
“After implementation, we observed a significantly higher percentage of orders for [hypofractionated] RT (60.3% [n = 1,254 of 2,079] vs 53.2% [n = 1,010 of 1,899]; P <.001) and claims for [hypofractionated] RT (71.5% [n = 1,143 of 1,598] vs 59.0% [n = 941 of 1,595]; P <.001),” explained Dr Powell and colleagues.
Before implementation, the adjusted odds of an hypofractionated RT order and claim was 1.35 (CI, 1.19-1.54) and 1.76 (CI, 1.52-2.04), respectively. —Lisa Kuhns
