CHICAGO — Health Care Service Corporation is adding to its suite of solutions to increase access, improve outcomes and reduce costs surrounding cancer care.
HCSC began offering a new Cancer Services and Support program to self-funded employers on Jan. 1. The program is HCSC's latest effort focusing on optimal outcomes for members and families facing cancer.
“A holistic, multi-dimensional approach is important to improve outcomes and ease navigation of the entire process for members and their families,” says Dr. Monica Berner, HCSC's chief clinical officer. “Our Cancer Services and Support solution combines the expertise of best-in-class specialists from around the country with the close-to-home care members may prefer. Because Cancer Services and Support will also connect members and local oncologists to a broad and deep network of specialists, this approach can help members find their best treatment path while staying close to home.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer care costs have risen to $208.9 billion dollars per year. The American Cancer Society projects there will be more than 2 million new U.S. cancer cases in 2024, the first time the milestone has been reached.
To alleviate member burdens and complexities, HCSC's Cancer Services and Support offers holistic solutions to provide high-quality care and support, including:
- Proactive outreach to members with a cancer diagnosis to provide care management and educational resources.
- Pharmacist review of specialty medications.
- Expert medical reviews, as well as identification of potential clinical trials to support treatment decisions, from cancer specialists at National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.
- Proactive reviews of rare and complex cancer cases, leveraging evidence-based recommendations and physician-to-physician consultations.
- Holistic multi-disciplinary team support for behavioral health needs for members diagnosed with cancer and for members with a social determinants of health factor.
From education, outreach and early detection to care management, support for members in the cancer journey is nothing new at HCSC. Available resources vary by line of business and selected policies. HCSC is also focused on closing care gaps with preventative screening reminders. HCSC's Early Detection Cancer Screening program involves an array of initiatives to identify and reach out to members with screening gaps for early diagnosis. In 2023, more than 75,000 at-home colon cancer screening kits were sent to members in Individual and Family Market plans who matched screening criteria. The program is expanding in 2024.
HCSC also invests in the communities it serves, including work with:
- Illinois: Asian Health Coalition’s Screening for Cancer, Reducing inEquity, and Engaging our Asian Neighborhoods program. The SCREEN program addresses and helps close testing and treatment gaps.
- Montana: The Montana Cancer Summit, in support of the American Cancer Society.
- New Mexico: The American Cancer Society’s Transportation and Lodging Program.
- Oklahoma: The University of Oklahoma/OU Foundation’s Mobile Mammography Project for Underserved Communities, which provides no-cost mammograms and diagnostic follow-up care.
- Texas: The EmpowerHer Sponsorship Program, in partnership with The Rose, provides breast cancer screenings and mammograms, biopsies and treatment navigation for uninsured women.
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About Health Care Service Corporation
Health Care Service Corporation is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer, serving 22 million people across the U.S., primarily through its health plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A Mutual Legal Reserve Company, HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.