At the eighth annual Chicago Supportive Oncology Conference, we spoke with Dr. Anthony Back about talking to patients about the cost of care and whether the costs are worth it. Dr. Back stressed that it is crucial for cost to be a part of the decision making process, and not a separate stand-alone issue. He added that it is the physician who should take the lead in initiating this discussion.
Dr. Back is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology at the University of Washington's School of Medicine and a medical oncologist with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in Seattle, Washington.