COA: Community Oncology Alliance

Community oncology faces significant challenges from the Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) drug pricing changes, risking financial stability and patient access to care.

As community oncology evolves to deliver chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T and bispecific therapies closer to home, support is needed to ensure patient access and precision medicine capabilities, says Nini Wu, MD.

Stephen Speicher, MD, and Kate Estep, from Flatiron Health, discuss the future of oncology care with artificial intelligence (AI).

The 2025 Community Oncology Conference empowered attendees with insights on advocacy, innovation, and practical strategies for enhancing community cancer care.

An executive order signed on Tuesday, March 15, necessitated a change in plans for this panel discussion from the 2025 Community Oncology Conference, with the assembled experts, moderated by Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance, speaking to how the order would reverberate across the community oncology space.

Experts at the Community Oncology Conference discuss innovative patient navigation programs, emphasizing technology's role and the importance of human connection in cancer care.

Lalan Wilfong, MD, of Thyme Care and Texas Oncology, discusses a session on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and shares insight as chair of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Reform Committee.

Kate Baker, MD, MMHC, medical director of value-based care at Tennessee Oncology, talks about innovations in cancer care highlighted at the Community Oncology Conference.

At the 2025 Community Oncology Conference, Nini Wu, MD, Navista, shares how AI can transform community oncology.

Experts emphasize the need for enhanced clinical trial infrastructure in community oncology to ensure equitable access to innovative therapies for all patients.

Mike Fazio, director of value-based care at Navista, Cardinal Health, discusses a trending topic at the 2025 Community Oncology Conference: optimizing oncology care with technology.

Oncology leaders from Alliance Cancer Specialists, American Oncology Network, CHI St. Vincent, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and New York Cancer & Blood Specialists discussed the power of collaboration in cancer care, highlighting partnerships that enhance patient outcomes and resource sharing in community practices.

This article appears in the April issue of Evidence-Based Oncology.

Demonstration projects to show accurate use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care are important to prevent a loss of credibility in the technology, explained Glenn Balasky, executive director, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Policy changes, such as banning spread pricing and promoting transparency, are necessary to realign the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market and ensure that health care resources benefit patients and providers rather than being diverted by middlemen, according to panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

The transition to value-based care is extremely challenging because everyone is also still being paid by fee for service, said Lalan Wilfong, MD, senior vice president, value-based care, Thyme Care.

The need for improved collaboration between payers and providers is key to successfully implementing value-based care initiatives that address patient needs, ensure measurable outcomes, and overcome challenges, according to panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

A panel discussion at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit highlighted the tension between state regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preemption, emphasizing the need for reforms to balance employer uniformity with addressing PBM practices.

There are concerns that the negotiated drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are leading to large provider reimbursement cuts, explained Nick Ferreyros, managing director, Community Oncology Alliance.

Panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit 2024 agreed that overcoming health care challenges will depend heavily on collaboration and active engagement from multiple stakeholders in the policy and regulatory process.

Coverage from the Community Oncology Alliance Community Oncology Conference, held April 4-5, 2024, in Orlando, Florida.

Shawn Tuma, JD, CIPP/US, cybersecurity and data privacy attorney, Spencer Fane LLP, highlights the biggest threats concerning a cyberattack on oncology practices.

Judith Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, director of clinical initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), discusses upcoming policy initiatives and the current oncology landscape amid a health care cyberattack.

In this interview from our coverage of the 2024 Community Oncology Conference, Shawn Tuma, JD, CIPP/US, Spencer Fane LLP, discusses how he helps clients reduce their cyber risk and be better prepared for breaches when they occur.

The annual legislative update at the Community Oncology Alliance Community Oncology Conference identified what Congress may focus on prior to the upcoming election.

This panel at the Community Oncology Alliance conference discussed the impact of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) response to the end of direct and indirect remuneration fees, which has been dramatic cuts to cancer drug reimbursement.

"The government really didn't rise to the challenge the way that it should have,” notes Ben Jones, vice president of government relations and public policy for The US Oncology Network. “Practices were in distress…stretching all resources to figure out workarounds."

Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, is 1 of 6 cochairs for the 2024 Community Oncology Conference, and here she discusses how meeting content has incorporated ongoing coverage of the extremely disruptive cyberattack and how there is still so much work to be done.

Jonathan E. Levitt, Esq, founding partner of boutique health care law firm Frier Levitt, LLC, discusses a recent class-action lawsuit brought against Johnson & Johnson in which an employee alleged a breach of fiduciary duty regarding her employer-sponsored pharmacy benefits.

Judy Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, director of clinical initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), addresses the challenges pharmacies face in managing formularies to provide optimal patient care.