Interviews

Access to care remains a key issue when trying to deliver equitable kidney health care to patients, explained O.N. Ray Bignall II, MD, assistant chief diversity and health equity officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Brent W. Miller, MD, board certified nephrologist and professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, discussed new and emerging technologies for at-home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, as well as efforts that have been made to address uptake issues for patients with kidney disease.

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.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of Dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on challenges in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), as well as promising therapies in the pipeline that target specific pathways suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease.

Jim H. Rhodes, deputy county administrator, Camden County, New Jersey, spoke on how his organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has aided their value-based initiatives in improving health equity in the region.

Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the results of study he and his team conducted in the setting of resectable stage II to IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Risk factors not properly addressed in patients with asymptomatic heart failure, such as high blood pressure and having diabetes or mild heart valve problems, can lead to structural heart problems or heart failure itself, noted Amresh Raina, MD, of the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Recent FDA approvals and therapies under FDA review are adding new treatments to the armamentarium, said Paul Hahn, MD, vitreoretinal surgeon at NJRetina.

Michelle DeNault, senior benefit analyst, Wawa, spoke on her organization’s membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), specifically how tools provided by the Coalition and the Leapfrog Group have improved hospital price transparency for employers and beneficiaries in seeking value-based care services.

Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) for the 2021-2022 term, discussed the major focuses and breakthroughs in nephrology to be presented at Kidney Week 2022, which include novel treatments for common and rare kidney diseases, as well as efforts to address disparities for transplant and care access.

Sibel Blau, MD, president and CEO of the Quality Cancer Care Alliance (QCCA), talks about why QCCA and National Cancer Care Alliance (NCCA) launched Exigent Research.

Neil Goldfarb, president and CEO of Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), spoke on the biggest challenges facing GPBCH in advancing health care value, how national organizations are helping drive innovation, and the future role of business coalitions in the health care system.

Having a plan in place to educate providers and the pharmacy team has contributed to the success that Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC) has had with rapidly implementing biosimilars, said Timothy Murphy, MD, medical oncologist/hematologist with RMCC.

Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF, talks about the predictive modeling exercise used to develop and refine the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Index.

James Startare, vice president of benefits, Aramark, spoke about the different ways membership with the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) has helped his organization.

The results of a study showing improved functional vision and retinal sensitivity have implications for gene therapy in ophthalmological conditions, explained Michel Michaelides, MD, FACP, a consultant ophthalmologist and a professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology's Genetics Department.

Neil Goldfarb, president and CEO of Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH), discussed his initial motivations for launching a business coalition 10 years ago in the Greater Philadelphia region and what accomplishments GPBCH has had so far in driving health care value.

Athena Gierbolini, president of Hope for HS, a nonprofit advocacy group for those affected with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), spoke on common stigmas regarding HS and how clinicians can improve consultation through a culturally sensitive approach.

Pharmacists must take time to understand why patients are not adherent to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and what barriers exist, said Kevin N. Astle, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, AAHIVP, CDES, assistant professor at the University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy.

Several elements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) align with CMS’ goals of promoting equity through health policy, explained A. Mark Fendrick, MD, co–editor in chief of The American Journal of Managed Care® and director of the V-BID Center at the University of Michigan.

A medical student at the University of Kansas discusses a research project she started in her first year of school—2020—looking at whether a racial bias in pulse oximetry was present in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Patients may be able to forgo radiation following use of cemiplimab to treat their resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), as it is likely to demonstrate significant improvement in quality of life (QOL) for patients and enable less invasive surgeries, noted Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) temporarily extended Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and instituted an insulin co-pay cap for Medicare beneficiaries, but bipartisan agreement is needed to make these changes permanent and more broadly applicable, explained A. Mark Fendrick, MD.

It's hard to predict whether the Medicare drug price negotiation provision in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could lead to higher or lower prices in the commercial market, said A. Mark Fendrick, MD, co–editor in chief of The American Journal of Managed Care® and director of the V-BID Center at the University of Michigan.

Kelly Price, US Head of Rare Disease at HRA Pharma, talks about the shifting preference for nonpharmacologic treatments.

HIV antiretroviral therapy has changed and improved dramatically since it first became available, said Jana K. Dickter, MD, associate clinical professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, City of Hope.

Arianne Baldomero, MD, MS, a pulmonologist in the Veterans Health Administration, discusses findings of a study looking at chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) disease management for veterans in rural areas.

Urban areas face a concentration of various pollutants that will be exacerbated by the increasing temperatures caused by climate change, and low-income residents likely have fewer resources to withstand negative health impacts, according to Emily Brigham, MD, MHS, of the University of British Columbia.

There is potential impact on the heart, coronary arteries, and heart function following radiation to the left side of the body, explained Amresh Raina, MD, director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Allegheny General Hospital and the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to Tom Robinson, vice president of global access at JDRF, the creation of the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Index was prompted by a lack of basic data on the condition, such as how many people are living with and affected by T1D.