PCOC: Patient-Centered Oncology Care

The second day of Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2021 featured a panel discussion, “Oncology Care Transitions: Bridging the Gaps Across the Patient Journey.”

With the Oncology Care Model (OCM) slated to end in 2022, the successor model is still not in place. According to panelists, there is likely going to be a gap after OCM ends and the new model begins, but more importantly, practices should prepare for the new model to be mandatory.

The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is scheduled to end in just a few months, but with no new model in place to succeed it and practices still struggling during the pandemic, OCM should continue in its current form, said Kashyap Patel, MD, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associations, current president of the Community Oncology Alliance, and co-chair of Patient-Centered Oncology Care®.

The pandemic has acted as a catalyst to increase the use of digital health and telemedicine, allowing providers to continue to deliver great care and even reach their rural patients, said Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president of Texas Oncology.

In the opening sessions at the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® conference, held September 23-24 both virtually and in Nashville, Tennessee, speakers focused on addressing disparities by getting involved and engaged with the community.

Having the option of receiving care in their community instead of a large hospital located hours away is not only a benefit for many patients, but research is showing community oncology practices are a low-cost, high-quality provider of care, explained Jeff Patton, MD, executive chairman of Tennessee Oncology and CEO of OneOncology.

On the opening day of Patient-Centered Oncology Care, Robert Groves, MD, of Banner | Aetna, discussed the use of psychographics to predict health behavior in local populations.

Remote patient monitoring includes urgent care uses, long-term monitoring to help keep patients with cancer out of the hospital by monitoring the effects of oncology treatment at home, and even voice monitoring to check for altered mental status, said Elizabeth Kwo, MD, MBA, MPH, the deputy chief clinical officer at Anthem BCBS, and a speaker at the 10th anniversary of Patient-Centered Oncology Care® conference.

At the 10th anniversary meeting of Patient-Centered Oncology Care®, sessions will cover reducing disparities in cancer care, bringing clinical trials closer to the community, and expanding the scope of what the term "precision medicine" means in cancer care.

Iksha Herr of Microsoft previews her talk on leveraging data and artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, which will be a high point of this year's Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) conference.

The Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) conference, taking place in a hybrid format September 23-24, 2021, provides a space for oncologists, payers, health care system leaders, and others to delve into different possibilities to improve care, according to Joseph Alvarnas, MD, of City of Hope, editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Oncology™ and co-chair of the meeting.

Looking forward to the 10th anniversary of the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) conference, taking place in a hybrid format September 23-24, 2021, Joseph Alvarnas, MD, of City of Hope, editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Oncology™, and co-chair of the meeting, discusses the takeaways that attendees can expect to hear about in the areas of patient care, payment and quality, and multidisciplinary collaboration among specialists.

The official rules for the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® Apple AirPods sweepstakes for in-person attendees.

The official rules for the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® Apple AirPods sweepstakes for virtual attendees.

Panelists at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 discussed practical methods and the potential benefits of utilizing chronic care management (CCM) billing and telehealth in oncology.

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), once just administrators created to ease claims processing, have grown to a position of power that comes with conflicts of interest aplenty, said a panel at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020.

Harlan Levine, MD, highlighted the chasm present in oncology today during his talk during this year’s Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 conference.

A panel at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 discussed the challenges of a pandemic as oncology practice transformation initiatives continue on.

Speakers at Patient-Centered Oncology Care® highlighted injustices in the US health care system, the risk of financial toxicity, and how providers can do a better job to ensure their patients achieve health equity, during a panel discussion.

CMMI's Alexandra Chong, PhD, discusses COVID-19 related flexibilities under the Oncology Care Model, and a panel discusses its successor.

A gradual acceptance among physicians has been observed in adopting quality care initiatives that provide cost-saving, improved patient experience in cancer care, noted Kerin Adelson, MD, of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven/Yale Cancer Center.

Testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) before procedures has become a fixture of City of Hope's efforts to protect patients with cancer and staff, noted Harlan Levine, MD, president of Strategy and Business Ventures at City of Hope.

Aligned with ASCO's Patient-Centered Oncology Payment model, Anthem has launched its value-based strategy called the oncology medical home, which seeks to promote quality metrics and improve outcome measures in cancer care.

Progress within the adoption of clinical pathways, particularly in achieving standardization in cancer care, will be further discussed at Patient-Centered Oncology Care 2020®.

The uncertainties precipitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic around cancer care delivery are a challenging topic to be further addressed at this year’s Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual meeting.

Through this year's virtual format for Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020, participants will be able to attend sessions, ask questions, and gain insight in an immediate, efficient way.

The opportunity that precision medicine presents in the field of oncology will be further discussed during this year’s Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual meeting.

As cancer care providers, aligning care with each patient's personal goals is a key point to be further discussed at this year's Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual conference.

For this year's Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual conference, the discussion on clinical pathways will address how to optimize new data on innovations within oncology.

At this year's Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual conference, purported lack of incentives, transparency in the supply chain of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) operations, and the overall health care system will be discussed.