Designing and implementing a bundle of care for patients with early-stage breast cancer: lessons from a pilot program
Yvonne Zissiadis A , Helen Ballal B , Nicola Forsyth A , Angela Ives
C , Lee Jackson B , Anna Montgomery D * , Sarah Wise E , Wen Chan Yeow B and Christobel Saunders F
A
B
C
D
E
F
Abstract
We present a case study on the design and implementation of a value-based bundled package of care for patients with early-stage breast cancer treated in the private health sector in Australia. Value-based healthcare is an essential change to how we deliver healthcare, shifting the focus from paying for individual services provided to a focus on the health outcomes gained over a full cycle of care. The Australian health system has unintentionally created barriers to value-based cancer care through fragmented care pathways and complex funding arrangements where patients can unexpectedly encounter high out-of-pocket costs. A team of clinicians, service providers, health systems and funding experts, private health insurers and consumers have collaborated to design and pilot a complete bundled package of care for breast cancer patients which aims to address these challenges. With 40 patients recruited to date, early evaluation results show positive patient experience of ‘joined-up’ care and financial transparency. This case study provides a high-level overview of the approach taken to design and implement the Breast Cancer Bundle and the lessons learned for its expansion in both public and private settings.
Keywords: breast cancer care pathway, bundle of care, coordinated care, patient experience, patient navigation, value-based models of care.
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