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Robin Zon: Behind every diagnosis, test, approval/ disapproval and outcome is a patient and their family

Robin Zon/LinkedIn

Jan 20, 2025, 04:21

Robin Zon: Behind every diagnosis, test, approval/ disapproval and outcome is a patient and their family

Robin Zon, President of ASCO for 2024-2025, shared a post by Samira Daswani, on LinkedIn:

“This is unfortunately a common story for all patients , young and old. Thank you Samira for so eloquently sharing your experiences. I agree that behind every diagnosis , test, management plan, prior auth, approval/ disapproval and outcome , is a patient and their family and we should never loose sight of this.”

Quoting Samira Daswani‘s post:

“After 4 years, 4 insurance plans, and countless hours navigating the financial maze of cancer care as a young survivor, I’m humbled to share my editorial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Thank you JCO ASCO for inviting me to share this perspective.

When I was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer at 30, I didn’t expect that insurance selection would become a driving factor in choosing employers, or that I’d spend hours negotiating to keep my trusted care team with each insurance transition.

As both a patient and a technologist, I’ve seen firsthand how our healthcare system often forgets that with cancer, the stakeholder who has the most to gain or lose is the patient. My hope in sharing is to shed light on the business realities of cancer care – from insurance transitions to high-deductible health plans to the impact of healthcare consolidation.

We often say a cancer diagnosis marks the beginning of two fights: one against the disease and the other against financial ruin. It’s time we change this reality.

Thank you Dr. Fumiko Chino and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)!”

Business of Health Care and the Personal Cost of Cancer Care | JCO Oncology Practice

Authors: Samira Daswani

Robin Zon: Behind every diagnosis, test, approval/ disapproval and outcome is a patient and their family