Dive Brief:
- Employers can be proactive about providing higher quality cancer care for employees and their families, reports the Northeast Business Group on Health. The agency’s report, High Value Cancer Care: Guidance for Employers, tells employers to send workers to websites promoting quality cancer care, advise them to get second opinions and educate them about the benefits of getting early treatment for serious illnesses.
- The NEBGH report also recommends that employers make support services, such as behavioral health treatment and help with financial hardship, part of their benefits plans. The report’s findings are based on interviews with employee benefits specialists and oncologists.
- NEBGH notes that healthcare is transitioning from a system in which the amount of care provided and the cost are central to one focused on quality. The result is higher quality cancer care for patients.
Dive Insight:
Although employee benefits specialists aren’t healthcare experts, they’re still responsible for making tough decisions about deciding what healthcare plans and support services to buy for the well-being of their employees.
What NEBGH and other voices in the space seem to agree upon is that addressing cancer in the workplace effectively starts with a focus on treatment outcomes. Employers should certainly familiarize themselves with the differences between treatment centers (including centers of excellence), the efficacy of various treatment options and variations in chemotherapy cost.
Employers can help workers undergoing cancer treatment, which can be costly and stressful, by rearranging work schedules and providing accommodations needed to do their jobs based on ADA requirements.
