COA: Community Oncology Alliance

Evolution and collaboration are the fundamentals of bringing oncology payment reform plans to fruition, say 3 professionals on the front lines.

During a session on day 1 of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Virtual Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, a panel of experts discussed the ways COVID-19 continues to impact cancer care and payment reform.

Barbara McAneny, MD, founding partner of New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, discusses the challenges in care delivery with step therapy in Medicare Advantage and much-debated home infusion in oncology.

Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician at Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, discusses the impact that COVID-19 continues to have on health care delivery and payment reform initiatives as the COA Payer Exchange Summit tackles this and other issues in payment reform.

The Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit always offers frank discussion, and this year's virtual format promises more of the same.

Bo Gamble, director of Strategic Practice Initiatives for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), previewed the COA Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform ahead of the 2-day virtual meeting on October 27-28, 2020.

During the upcoming Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, a panel discussion on applying value-based insurance design (VBID) in oncology will explore ways in which the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis can be an opportunity for growth.

The ruling reversed a lower court ruling regarding the drug discount program for hospitals that serve patients covered by Medicaid.

Despite the immediate distraction from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), panelists at the 2020 Virtual Community Oncology Conference said community oncologists must keep pressure on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as the 2020 campaign heats up—lest they lose the momentum to rein PBM practices within the umbrella of drug pricing reform.

The bright spot of telemedicine's success during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic cannot overshadow the stresses on patients and practices, which will both have ongoing challenges when the pandemic ends, said panelists during a legislative update on day 2 of the 2020 Virtual Community Oncology Conference, convened by the Community Oncology Alliance.

There's a way to boost participation in clinical trials and modernize the cumbersome process of patient accrual, noted current ASCO President Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD, FACP, FASCO, on day 2 of Virtual COA 2020. It means shifting clinical trials out of hospitals and tertiary care centers and bringing them to the patients.

Day 1 of Virtual COA 2020, this year’s Community Oncology Conference, kicked off with the panel discussion, “Top Oncology Issues Now & Looking Ahead,” led by Bo Gamble, director of Strategic Practice Initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance. Topics covered ran the gamut: from Zoom being everyone’s new middle name to telehealth to caring for patients’ medical and social needs and beyond.

Oncology practices could use more time to become accustomed to 2-sided risk even without a global pandemic, but the current crisis makes the need more urgent, say payment reform leaders at the Community Oncology Alliance virtual conference.

The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) recently spoke with Dinesh Kapur, MD, of Eastern Connecticut Hematology and Oncology, also known as ECHO, an advanced community oncology conference. Kapur spoke about how the value of community oncology, clinicial trials, and how staff are spending remote work days developing artificial intelligence (AI) tools for predictive patient analytics to improve care.

In a preview interview for this year’s 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Anshu Jain, MD—radiation oncologist at Ashland Bellefonte Cancer Center in Ashland, Kentucky; assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine; and Community Oncology Alliance board member—on how important it is to always strive for excellence in medicine.

At the 2020 Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance, Howard "Skip" Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, president, chief medical officer, and executive director of drug development for Sarah Cannon Research Institute, will discuss "The Now and Future of Clinical Trials in the Community Oncology Setting." The American Journal of Managed Care® recently spoke with Burris, who is wrapping up his term as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, about how the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is affecting clinical trials as well as other aspects of the future of patient care in community oncology settings.

The American Journal of Managed Care® discussed integrating applied informatics into the oncology care setting with Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, executive vice president of policy and strategy at Texas Oncology.

In this preview interview for this year’s virtual 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Kathy Oubre, MS, chief operating officer of Pontchartrain Cancer Center in Louisiana, on why it is her privilege to work with patients who have cancer, as well as her thoughts on telehealth after the pandemic and why being in a hurricane-prone area necessitates healthcare that is flexible.

In the second part of a 2-part preview interview in advance of this year’s virtual 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Cheryl Larson, president and chief executive officer of the Midwest Business Group on Health, about how she is helping employer organizations navigate their pharmacy benefits managers and manage employee expectations.

Individuals should register for Community Oncology Alliance's virtual meeting to hear "amazing" speakers present groundbreaking research, said Lalan Wilfong, MD, medical oncologist and vice president of value-based care and quality programs at Texas Oncology.

In the first part of a 2-part preview interview in advance of this year’s virtual 2020 Community Oncology Conference, The American Journal of Managed Care® speaks with Cheryl Larson, president and chief executive officer of the Midwest Business Group on Health, about how she is helping employer organizations navigate their pharmacy benefits managers and manage employee expectations.

At this year's Community Oncology Conference, Antonio Ciaccia, the chief strategy officer of 3 Axis Advisors, will present about pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drug pricing issues. The conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance, takes place virtually on April 23 and April 24, and The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) is previewing some of the speakers and topics.

The Community Oncology Alliance's annual conference is a space where industry experts and key opinion leaders can share ideas on improving patient care and advocate for community oncology, said Kathy Oubre, MS, chief operating officer at Pontchartrain Cancer Center.

The 2020 Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), will take place virtually on April 23 and April 24. The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) is bringing you a series of previews so you can learn more about what to expect when you attend this virtual meeting. In this interview we speak with Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, executive vice president of policy and strategy at Texas Oncology, who is presenting on applied informatics in oncology at the virtual meeting.

The 2020 Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), takes place virtually on April 23 and April 24. The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) is bringing you a series of previews so you can learn more about what you'll hear when you attend this virtual meeting. In this interview we're speaking with Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, the chief medical director of West Cancer Center and the chief medical officer of OneOncology, and who is moderating a stakeholder panel discussion on genomic profiling in cancer.

Payers have a crucial role in the future of community oncology, said Jeffery Patton, MD, of OneOncology, because it’s in their interest to help this lower-cost option thrive.

Proposed changes to the Stark Law that would make collaboration easier have purposely excluded pharmaceutical manufacturers, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

The Oncology Care Model is a leading innovation in the move from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement in large part because CMS has made adjustments based on physician feedback, according to an agency official who addressed the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

What would a successor to the Oncology Care Model (OCM) look like? Community oncologists discuss at the Payer Exchange Summit sponsored by the Community Oncology Alliance.

Heading into 2019, the idea that oncology practices would fully embrace financial responsibility for clinical decisions still seemed far-fetched for many. And yet, when it was time to make the call, moving to 2-sided risk proved a “simple” decision, said Travis Brewer of Texas Oncology, who took part in a panel offering an update on the Oncology Care Model (OCM) at the start of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, which opened Monday in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.