COA: Community Oncology Alliance

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.

After the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM), practices are working with primary care providers, which has pros and cons.

A lawsuit that followed a health system revoking community oncologists' hospital privileges was the jumping off point for a discussion of how to manage this key relationship.

The annual Community Oncology Conference comes on the heels of a cyberattack that has caused significant disruption to providers, and many have sought relief from payers in areas such as prior authorization.

With the 2024 Community Oncology Conference, from the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), set to kick off this week in Orlando, Florida, The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke with Emily Touloukian, DO, COA board member and 1 of 6 cochairs for this year’s meeting, on highlights from the packed agenda and the power of advocacy.

While the Enhancing Oncology Model is the successor of the Oncology Care Model, it includes some very real challenges for participating practices, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, senior vice president of payer and care transformation at The US Oncology Network.

A one-size-fits-all approach to alternative payment models (APMs) often isn’t very fair to community practices, said Miriam Atkins, MD, FACP, president of the Community Oncology Alliance.

Our top coverage from this year’s Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance, included discussions around alternative payment models, shifts in the community oncology landscape in recent decades, and the need for reform in several areas.

Activity to regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) has started in the states and is trickling up to the federal level, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance.

Mike Lattanzi, MD, genitourinary medical oncologist, Texas Oncology, discusses recent findings from studies he participated in on targeted therapies for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Davey B. Daniel, MD, chief medical officer at OneOncology, shares his insights on health equity practices, as well as the importance of developing clinical models within community oncology.

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president at Texas Oncology, discusses financial drivers affecting community oncology as well as new advances within cancer care that allow it to be treated as a chronic disease.

A panel at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) 2023 Community Oncology Conference highlights the evolution of taking on risk, developing stratification models, and collaborating to learn from fellow providers.

Capitol Hill experts taking part in the Community Oncology Alliance's (COA) Community Oncology Conference said Friday that bipartisan awareness of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices has reached a point that they believe Congress may finally act, if only to require greater transparency.

Amy Valley, vice president for Clinical Strategy and Technology Solutions at Cardinal Health, discusses challenges presented within the oncology community, and how Cardinal Health is addressing these issues.

Ben Jones, vice president of Government Relations and Public Policy at the US Oncology Network, discussed the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM), and why it's such an important topic at this year's conference.

A chief concern among those considering the upcoming alternative payment model in oncology, the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM): Practices will have to take on downside risk immediately.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) retains the spirit of an upstart advocacy group, while working to look ahead at innovative technologies, care delivery trends, and other events that threaten independent practices, said oncology leaders while attending their annual meeting this week.

Kashyap Patel, MD, immediate past president of Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, talks about bringing together different stakeholders in the oncology space in order to benefit patients and providers.

Topics to be addressed at the annual conference, which will bring more than 1900 attendees to Kissimmee, Florida, include the Enhancing Oncology Model, efforts to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, and 340B reform.

Stephen M. Schleicher, MD, MBA, Tennessee Oncology and Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Board of Directors member, discusses what brings him back to the Community Oncology Conference year after year.

This year's Community Oncology Conference will celebrate 2 decades of achievements in community oncology and begin to chart a path forward for the future, said Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of policy, advocacy, and communications at Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

In this preview of the 2023 Community Oncology Conference, past president of the Community Oncology Alliance, David Eagle, MD, of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, discusses what has him excited for this year's meeting, both sessions and speakers.

Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support at the Community Oncology Alliance, shares what she's looking forward to at the 2023 Community Oncology Conference.

340B was developed with positive intentions, but has resulted in unintended consequences, said Edward J. Licitra, MD, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer, Astera Cancer Care.

"We need to get rid of all obstacles that are getting in the way of the patient getting their care," said Bo Gamble, director of strategic practice initiatives at Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

Brian Corvino, MBA, managing director, Life Sciences and Health Care Practice, Deloitte Consulting, LLP, offered an overview of how the surge of innovation in oncology—and resulting drug approvals—dominate the biopharmaceutical sector. He spoke at the Community Oncology Alliance's Payer Exchange Summit.

The quest to deliver better cancer care—with better outcomes and patient experience—is not a one-size-fits-all journey, as seen in panels during the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, held in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.

Making value-based payment models work in cancer care requires close attention to the financial and quality measures and a commitment to culture change, said experts gathered October 25 at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.