Posted ahead of print is an interesting and article by Neubauer, et al : Cost-Effectiveness of Evidence-Based Treatment Guidelines for the Treatment of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Community Setting. Marcus and several of the authors are well known to the clinical practice committee at ASCO. What they report is that the use of pathways in a practice, to harmonize how physicians order lines of therapy for our most common cancer, provides 'best treatment' AND saves money. Though their focus is on community practice - where the far majority of cancer patients are treated - there is no reason to suppose that such efforts would not be generalizable to any practice setting.

Do you use pathways in your practice? Do you see a role to develop common approaches to the major cancers among your colleagues? Can you see your practice sitting down with payers to agree on such approaches?

OR

Do you feel that collaborating with payers to organize the choices that you outline to patients is 'crossing a line'?

I encourage you to read January's JOP --- and look forward to your comments and post on this site.