- Delaware: Gov. John Carney (D) on Wednesday signed into law a bill that aims to improve access to cancer treatment. The bill requires health insurers to cover any medically appropriate FDA-approved drug for treatment of stage 4 metastatic cancer and other cancers without requiring proof that a patient did not respond to another drug. The measure is based on Georgia legislation inspired by former President Jimmy Carter, who has suffered from brain cancer (AP/Sacramento Bee, 9/20).
- Hawaii: After 43 years with Kaiser Permanente, Mary Ann Barnes, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Hawaii Region, retired Sept. 8. Barnes started at Kaiser as an ICU nurse. She came to Kaiser Permanente Hawaii in 2014. Bill Caswell, SVP and COO for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, will step in as interim regional president while Kaiser works to find a permanent successor for Barnes (Haefner, Becker's Hospital Review, 9/20).
- Pennsylvania: The Bethlehem Township commissioners on Monday gave St. Luke's University Hospital approval to build a $100 million hospital at its Anderson Campus. The new 175,000-square-foot, four-story building will house a maternity ward, ED, and 36 patient beds. Construction will start next year and is projected to last two years (Paavola, Becker's Hospital Review, 9/20).
What they value: 5 types of cancer patients
Cancer patients have more choices for their care than ever before. To attract patients in this fiercely competitive landscape, you must invest your limited resources in the right services—ones that will earn patients' trust and improve their experience.
Our infographic is your guide to understanding the five types of patients and what they value in a cancer provider.