When Prompted, Many Cancer Patients Indicate They Want Treatment for Depression, Smoking

LANGHORNE, PA, June 09, 2011 (Press-News.org) A clinical trial launched by Polaris Health Directions is off to a strong start with more than 100 of the planned 1,000 patients enrolled within the first six weeks. The research is examining whether using an automated assessment and referral system developed by Polaris can improve quality of life and reduce long-term costs related to poor mental health and high health care utilization among people with cancer.

The Polaris Oncology Distress Management System assesses psychosocial issues including distress and depression that are common in cancer patients. Along with offering automated referrals, the system also provides tailored feedback reports for clinicians and patients based on the patient assessment. Polaris Oncology addresses the core psychological symptoms and concerns recommended in the distress management guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and forthcoming guidelines from the American College of Surgeons.

Early indications point to the strong potential the Polaris system holds for helping health care providers address psychosocial issues in cancer patients. During the beta development phases, 20 percent of patients who reported poorer mental health than normal for cancer patients requested the automated referral option, which prompts the system to fax the patient's information to a matched provider. Providers are selected based on location, a patient's insurance and mental health needs, and are required to contact the patient within five days to schedule an appointment and discuss treatment options.

Additionally, 20 percent of the smokers participating in the study requested an automated referral to initiate treatment for smoking cessation.

The single-blind randomized controlled trial is a collaboration between Polaris, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Cooper Cancer Institute and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

For more information, contact Polaris at moreinfo@polarishealth.com. Visit our website: http://www.polarishealth.com or follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections.

The project described was supported by Award Number 5R42MH78432-4 from the National Institute for Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute for Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.

About Polaris Health Directions

At Polaris, we recognize that organizations cannot manage what they do not measure. Many behavioral health care providers and payers may not be collecting and analyzing enough of the right data to answer basic questions about the cost-effectiveness of the care they offer. Polaris's advanced technology and science driven assessment systems are designed to capture the clinical data essential to quality improvement and enhanced organizational management. Polaris solutions provide advanced analytics to help you improve and demonstrate to your customers the value of your care. With a focus on prediction, Polaris solutions do more than describe clinical change. Our systems also indicate if treatment is likely to have a positive result. Helping you make better decisions in the present by anticipating the future will be the difference in reducing your costs while improving patient care.