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"Larry," 58, has metastatic liver cancer and had been in chemotherapy for three months when his insurer referred him to ITA Partners. He was responding well — after six months of treatment, his liver metastases had reduced 40% and his tumor marker had declined a solid 99%.
Side effects were beginning to have an impact — the chemotherapy was causing nerve |
damage in his fingers and toes and his platelet counts were low. Allowed to continue, the nerve damage could become permanent and painful, and the platelet counts could lead to internal bleeding. His physicians were recommending the chemotherapy be discontinued, but Larry was determined to forge ahead with it.
ITA’s professional clinical staff provided information that enabled Larry to seek a second opinion and helped him get one at a nearby, participating academic medical center. The second opinion concurred with the first — it would be safe to stop the chemotherapy. Reassured, Larry agreed and remains stable months later. He and his insurance company have saved nearly $50,000 in chemotherapy costs. |
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"Roberto," 60, had an APR (removal of the rectum) with a colostomy because of rectal cancer.
Roberto spoke Spanish, but no one in his doctor’s office did. After surgery, this language barrier and a fear of doctors kept the distraught patient from discussing persistent diarrhea with his attending physician. While that was happening, Roberto’s |
employer and insurer began working with ITA Partners. Roberto confided right away in a Spanish-speaking ITA staff member, who called the doctor and arranged an urgent visit to avert dehydration and hospitalization.
After that, ITA helped translate conversations between Roberto and his medical team and counseled him on medication and good hydration. With ITA’s support — free to the patient and to his doctors — Roberto completed chemotherapy without further incidence.
Total savings to Roberto and his insurer: |
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When "Bill," 53, was referred to ITA Partners through his
employer’s stop-loss carrier, he was being treated for acute myeloid leukemia at a top academic medical center.
His hematologist had helped set national care guidelines.
Yet, ITA still brought vast value for Bill, his physicians, and his insurers. While Bill was receiving transfusions for profound blood |
cell shortages, ITA’s oncology care manager discovered he still was taking aspirin. ITA conferred with the doctor, who immediately stopped the aspirin and thus avoided serious bleeding, re-hospitalization, and further transfusions.
ITA also learned Bill was having blood draws done at the hospital because he was afraid of infection if he went to the doctor’s office and sat in the waiting room. ITA worked with the doctor so Bill could enter through a private door and be seen quickly. Soon, ITA prompted one more step — even more cost-effective draws at home.
That’s not all. Bill was slated for a transplant through a respected national network. In reviewing the transplant contract, ITA saved more than $90,000 by eliminating fees for services that had already been delivered and were not necessary again.
Total savings for Bill and his insurer over seven months: |
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“Amy,” mother of two young children, was receiving breast cancer treatments 100 miles from home three days a week. Her husband was leaving work to drive her each time, and her mother was staying with them to care for the family.
Enter an ITA Partners oncology nurse, because Amy’s husband worked for a company whose insurer had recently contracted with |
us. ITA’s nurse helped to arrange home care on two of the treatment days, which let Amy rebuild her strength, kept her husband at work, and enabled her mom to return home. This approach also reduced the hospital expenses that had been mounting rapidly.
ITA’s chief medical officer also confirmed Amy’s treatment met evidence-based standards. In reviewing her bills, he noticed large fees for a drug that fights chemotherapy complications. ITA obtained the drug at a reduced price, then arranged for it to be administered at home rather than at the hospital — providing high-quality care in ways that benefited Amy and her family.
Total cost savings generated by ITA Partners: and Amy can focus on regaining her strength and caring for her children. |
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"Maureen," 61, had adenocarcinoma of the gastro-esophageal junction. At the time of enrolling with ITA Partners through her insurer, she had stomatitis and was receiving TPN in the hospital.
The situation was complicated. Maureen and her doctor weren’t communicating well; each was tense and frustrated. Her doctor |
was relieved to have ITA Partners’ added, direct support of his patient. After an ITA nurse discussed treatment options with her, Maureen talked with her doctor and chose a feeding tube rather than TPN. Maureen’s quality of life improved immensely, and she was even more gratified after ITA helped to arrange home health care.
Later in Maureen’s treatment process, members of ITA’s nationally renowned Medical Advisory Board affirmed that her surgeon was well qualified to perform a high-risk surgery, and ITA’s clinical team negotiated a competitive case rate for the procedure.
Total savings to Maureen & her insurer: and her doctors and Maureen were all more comfortable with her treatment paths. |
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“Evelyn,” 61, was diagnosed with breast cancer, two months after a normal mammogram. Overwhelmed, Evelyn abdicated all decision-making to her daughter — a common reaction.
Fortunately, her employer’s insurer contracts with ITA Partners, and we immediately linked with Evelyn and her physicians. |
An ITA nurse certified in oncology helped Evelyn review her options, figure out what questions to ask her doctors, and organize her next steps. Evelyn took control of her own health.
ITA’s chief medical officer talked with her physicians and confirmed that Evelyn’s therapy met evidence-based standards. After surgery, we prompted the scheduling of treatments around Evelyn’s job, so she could keep working. ITA helped to arrange for some of her care to occur conveniently and cost-effectively at home, and we helped prevent a treatment complication that could have
caused hospitalization.
Total savings: and Evelyn is on track to see her grandchildren graduate from college. |
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Cancer research evolves daily, saving more lives than ever before. Yet, cancer patients naturally share a common fear of “what if.” They and their families want honest answers, and they want to know that they’ll have some control over their final treatments and final days.
While ITA Partners works with most patients for a year,"Helen" was in the program just three weeks. A year earlier, Helen had |
undergone surgery for non-small cell lung cancer. She received no post-operative therapy. Hospitalized again with severe abdominal pain, Helen was found to have an extensive, malignant tumor. An oncologist offered chemotherapy or supportive therapy.
That’s when Helen was linked with ITA Partners through her insurance carrier. Our oncology care manager, a certified cancer nurse, talked with her and her caregivers about the diagnosis and her goals for her life. Helen decided against chemotherapy and desperately wanted to spend her final days at home. ITA found a nearby hospice and negotiated a 30% discount on daily fees.
Within days, Helen’s pain escalated. In collaboration with her doctors, ITA staff facilitated expanded home care, arranged more family support, and secured continuous hospice care, this time at a 40% discount.
ITA helped Helen avoid the agony of another hospital stay and obtained discounted hospice care for much longer than is typical — three weeks vs. a few days. ITA’s support also saved Helen’s family and insurer more than $20,000.
Helen, it was our honor to help reduce your suffering and empower you to live your final days peacefully at home.
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How ITA Achieves Better Outcomes
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