Cancer Screening
Members of the Health Outcomes group are engaged in research to improve methods of screening and aid decision making about screening. Specific interest areas are: development and testing of screening decision aids; optimizing PSA testing for prostate cancer; evaluation of new markers for use in prostate cancer screening; and identification of optimal candidates for lung cancer screening.
Examples of projects:
- Decision aids for mammography
- Development and evaluation of statistical models for predicting outcome of prostate biopsy
- Prostate cancer decision making and guideline development
- Skin cancer screening in childhood cancer survivors
Quality of care measurement
Members of the Health Outcomes group are engaged in research and policy related to measuring the quality of cancer care delivery nationally. Specific interest areas include: assessing variation in providers’ practice of inappropriate services; seeking novel approaches to evaluating outcomes of cancer care; and audit and feedback of surgical outcomes to surgeons.
Examples of projects:
- Measuring hospital quality using claims
- MSKCC surgical quality assurance system
- Variation in oncology practice for low-value services
Survivorship care quality and outcomes
Members of the Health Outcomes group are engaged in research to address the challenges that survivors of cancer face. Specific interest areas are: predicting late effects of cancer care; testing novel interventions to improve care coordination for cancer survivors and treatment of long-term complications of cancer treatment; and assessing outcomes of breast cancer survivors.
Examples of projects:
- Developing patient-reported outcomes for use in routine clinical care
- Effectiveness trial of a web-based tool for head and neck cancer survivors (HN-STAR)
- Late effects among lymphoma survivors
- Opioid use and pain management among cancer survivors
Treatment decisions, side effects and complications
Several members of the Health Outcomes group work on evaluating trade-offs between treatment options and assessing the side effects and complications of treatment. Specific interest areas include: cost-effectiveness analyses of health and medical interventions; active surveillance for prostate and thyroid cancers; and assessing unintended harm due to medical care.
Examples of projects:
- Adverse events across inpatient and outpatient cancer care
- Avoiding overuse by examining doctor-patient communication
- Decision making about prostate cancer treatment
Value-based pricing and oncology payment models
Members of the Health Outcomes group are actively engaged in policy and research related to optimizing health care costs. Specific interest areas include: alternative payment models for oncology care delivery; managing the high prices of cancer treatments, and using reimbursement policy to better align provider incentives with high-value care
Examples of projects:
- Impact of Accountable Care Organizations on cancer care delivery
- Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policy
