Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Examines Explosion Of Cancer Center Advertising That Often Plays On Patients' Emotions
A for-profit hospital system focused on complex and advanced cancers has drawn scrutiny for touting sky-high survival statistics buoyed by disproportionately healthy and wealthy patients. Now, new research provides the fullest portrait to date of the massive nationwide ad blitz launched by Cancer Treatment Centers of America to attract patients. The CTCA spent $101.7 million promoting its services in TV, print, online, and other ads in 2014, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all ad spending by US cancer centers that year, according to a new study from researchers at Indiana University and the University of Pittsburgh. (Robbins, 7/11)
The amount of advertising by cancer centers has exploded over the past decade - and so have come-ons that emotionally manipulate or even mislead patients. That is the bottom line of a study and accompanying editorial published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. (McCullough, 7/11)
