Invisible weight: Evaluating the impact of distress screening in cancer care.

30 Background: In July 2023, The US Oncology Network began using the NCCN Distress Thermometer within the EHR to screen for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) as part of whole-person cancer care. We aim to assess whether patients with identified distress who received a referral to supportive resources achieved greater cost savings under CMMI’s Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) compared to those without distress or a referral. Methods: Using distress and EOM episode data from July 2023 to June 2024 for 9 practices in The US Oncology Network participating in the EOM, we evaluated savings for those in High Distress Group (HDG distress score(DS) -7,8,9,10), Medium Distress Group (MDG DS – 4,5,6) and Low Distress Group (LDG DS – 1,2,3). Savings for these groups were calculated by the difference in benchmark and actual price / episode. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences between cohorts (p-value .00005) (Table). Results: Of 5,738 EOM patients, 4% were in HDG, 7% in MDG, 16% in LDG and 73% had no distress. Savings per episode were higher for patients in the distress group compared to those with no reported distress. Of 1554 patients with identified distress (Table1), 288 were referred to interventions. Among the referred cohort, 41.6% were in HDG, 54.2% in MDG, and 4.2% in LDG. Overall savings for the referred cohort were higher compared to the non-referred cohort. Conclusions: Patients with identified distress who received referrals had greater cost savings than those without, suggesting proactive care management in community oncology can reduce total cost of care (TCOC). Standardized screening improves distress reporting and HRSN identification, enabling earlier intervention. Connecting patients to internal and external resources enhances access to care. We will continue to assess how distress and supportive care interventions impact EOM savings, using these early findings as a baseline for evaluating future practice changes. Distress Level- Referred Episode Count Avg Savings/Episode HDG 120 (41.6%) $3,746 MDG 156 (54.2%) $6,578 LDG 12 (4.2%) $13,237 Total 288 (100%) $5,676 Distress Level- Not Referred Episode Count Avg Savings/Episode HDG 98 (7.8%) $2,351 MDG 266 (20.0%) $2,617 LDG 902 (72.3%) $4,913 Total 1266 (100%) $4,232