Laura is the vice president of content for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and all its brands, including The American Journal of Accountable Care®, Evidence-Based Oncology™, and The Center for Biosimilars®. She has been working on AJMC® since 2014 and has been with AJMC®’s parent company, MJH Life Sciences®, since 2011.
She has an MA in business and economic reporting from New York University. You can connect with Laura on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Dr Vivienne Hau: Without Representation, Clinical Trials Cannot Adequately Judge Drug Effectiveness
September 6th 2022Different populations respond differently to drugs and treatments, but without adequate representation in clinical trials, it will be hard to judge the effectiveness of a new treatment, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
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How Should MRD Results Be Used? Experts Don’t Necessarily Agree, Dr Ajay Nooka Says
September 5th 2022Everyone agrees that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the best prognostic tool for multiple myeloma, but there is disagreement on how to use the MRD results, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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The Biosimilar Conversion Journey Went Through 2 Phases at Minnesota Oncology
September 4th 2022While initially there was a need for education around biosimilars, now there is a need to keep an eye on the evolving biosimilar marketplace and update the formulary of biosimilar medicines, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.
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Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Use of MRD Testing in Multiple Myeloma at Emory
September 2nd 2022Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is used to understand the depth of response, but currently the data at Emory are not used to make treatment decisions, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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Gap After OCM May Cause Some Practices to Switch From Biosimilars to Brand Drugs
September 1st 2022The 1-year gap after the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) means some practices have to make hard decisions regarding cost of care or the financial health of the practice, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of Payer Relations & Practice Transformation at The US Oncology Network.
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Dr Vivienne Hau on the Role of Physicians, Researchers to Address Needs of Racial/Ethnic Minorities
August 23rd 2022Adequate training will help physicians and researchers better address the needs of the communities they’re targeting, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
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Ted Okon Highlights COA Committee to Act on Humanitarian Crises
August 21st 2022While the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) was involved in humanitarian work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, the crisis in Ukraine caused COA to set up a special committee to jump into action, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, COA.
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HER2m NSCLC an “Exciting Area of Active Investigation,” Says Dr Ticiana Leal
August 17th 2022Results from DESTINY-Lung01 have shown promising progression-free survival and overall survival with ongoing research that may lead to a future FDA approval in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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Teleophthalmology Is Here Today, but Insurance Coverage, Reimbursement Will Change
August 17th 2022Insurance reimbursement for teleophthalmology services is not consistent among populations and only recently received a boost due to flexibilities allowed during the pandemic, said Parisa Emami-Naeini, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.
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Ted Okon on 340B Hospitals Reporting on Prices for Services and Drugs
August 16th 2022Despite the Hospital Transparency Rule being in effect, the majority of 340B hospitals are not reporting their prices for top services and drugs, and those that have, reported on “egregious” markups, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance.
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Ted Okon Explains the Narrow SCOTUS Ruling on 340B Reimbursements
August 10th 2022The ruling by the Supreme Court on 340B reimbursements was narrow, but it sets up a future reimbursement reduction by HHS that is even greater based on survey data, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance.
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Dr Susan Escudier Reviews Value-Based Payment Programs in Cancer Care
August 9th 2022There are some similarities among various value-based payment programs for cancer care, but they are not identical, said Susan Escudier, MD, FACP, vice president, value-based care and quality programs, Texas Oncology.
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Data Support Safety, Effectiveness of Biosimilar-to-Biosimilar Switching
August 3rd 2022Although there is a paucity of data of switching among biosimilars of the same reference product, the few studies published support the safety and effectiveness of transitioning patients from one biosimilar to another.
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Dr Susan Escudier on the Benefits and Burdens of Digital Health Solutions
August 3rd 2022Telemedicine visits can make physicians more efficient, but the ability to report symptoms can add to the workload burden as staff try to figure out which symptoms need to be addressed, said Susan Escudier, MD, FACP, vice president of value-based care and quality programs, Texas Oncology.
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Dr Vivienne Hau Highlights the Need for Better Trial Design for Patient Diversity
August 2nd 2022Getting a more diverse patient population in clinical trials may be as simple as including paperwork in more languages, but good training among investigators and study coordinators can help identify unconscious biases that may also have an impact, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
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Dr Amila Patel Highlights Findings on Disparities in Immunotherapy Delivery
July 29th 2022Data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting found non-White patients are less likely to receive immunotherapy for head and neck cancer, said Amila Patel, PharmD, chief clinical officer, Navigating Cancer.
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Dr Susan Escudier: OCM Improvements That Practices Should Continue
July 29th 2022Even though the Oncology Care Model (OCM) ended on June 30, 2022, there are some improvements that practices should continue implementing, said Susan Escudier, MD, FACP, vice president of value-based care and quality programs, Texas Oncology.
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