Interviews

MS is a difficult disease to diagnose as it can present in many different ways and lacks an attributable biomarker to assess, said Andrew Solomon, MD, associate professor of neurological sciences and division chief of multiple sclerosis at Larner College of Medicine, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont.

The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has meant better care for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a better understanding of rare subtypes of genetic AML, and a better prognosis for these patients, said Sarah Tasian, MD, attending physician in the Division of Oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPh, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, discusses the current state of knowledge on smoking and multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and the risk of MS progression.

Reimbursement for CAR-T therapy has progressed to where commercially insured patients obtain coverage regularly, but issues remain for patients with Medicare, said John Sweetenham, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at UTSW’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Cost-effectiveness analyses have not been conducted on the DAPA-HF trial as of yet, but in healthcare systems in which dapagliflozin is not particularly expensive, results are likely to be favorable, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Biosimilars have the potential to reduce costs of treatment for patients with MS, but until clinical trials show their efficacy, clinicians will feel uneasy about prescribing them for chronic illnesses, said Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP, associate director at the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai.

Richard Snyder, MD, executive vice president of Facilitated Health Networks and chief medical officer at Independence Blue Cross, discusses key features that payers should include when implementing a value-based agreement.

Partnerships are essential for overcoming the barriers to implementing value-based care, explained Vanessa Sammy, MPA, MHSA, senior director of commercial strategy and implementation for Remedy Partners.

Melinda Magyari, MD, PhD, consultant neurologist, the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, addresses the current state of knowledge on using disease-modifying therapies to treat children with multiple sclerosis (MS).

There are a number of policy changes that can drive change within the implementation of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, but further innovation is warranted to improve access, said John Sweetenham, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at UTSW’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Stronger intervention by the government in controlling price, accessibility, and availability of MS treatment can drive innovation, said Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP, associate director at the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai.

Bradley Prechtl, MBA, chief executive officer of Florida Cancer Specialists and the American Oncology Network discusses how Florida Cancer Specialists is working with employers.

The biggest advice I would give to practices and care teams trying to really engage patients more is be innovative, explained James Hamrick, MD, senior medical director at Flatiron Health.

Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPh, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, discusses the role of vitamin D insufficiency in the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the optimal dose of vitamin D for patients with MS.

In patients with heart failure, both with and without diabetes, dapagliflozin was shown to provide identical efficacy and possibly beneficial effects on the heart, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Richard Snyder, MD, executive vice president of Facilitated Health Networks and chief medical officer at Independence Blue Cross, discusses the role of data exchange and analytics in value-based agreements.

Cost-related barriers to access are a major problem for US patients with MS that will hopefully be addressed through innovations in medication affordability, said Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP, associate director at the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai.

The momentum that OneOncology has in the marketplace creates an exciting environment for those involved, and those seeking to become involved, in our organization, said Tracy Bahl, MBA, president and chief executive officer of OneOncology.

Our goal is really to try and make the software as invisible as possible so that it becomes intelligent and aids in decision making, explained Carolyn Starrett, senior vice president, Provider Solutions, Flatiron Health.

Using market-research information builds comprehension of the communities OneOncology treats, which allows us to implement effective technologies for value-based care, said Robin Shah, chief commercial officer of OneOncology.

Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, executive director, West Cancer Center, discusses the importance of working with physicians to make sure they're comfortable prescribing biosimilars.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, vice president and chief innovation officer at ADVI Health, Inc, on whether payers will get more comfortable paying for one-time, curative therapies with high price tags.

New tools enabling data access can help patients choose the most appropriate site of care for their needs, representing a significant change in the care delivery paradigm, according to Vanessa Sammy, MPA, MHSA, senior director of commercial strategy and implementation for Remedy Partners.

Melinda Magyari, MD, PhD, consultant neurologist, the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, discusses the current body of data on treating pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS).

Ruxolitinib should be added to treatment of patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are not improving on steroids or whose symptoms return after tapering, said David Snyder, MD, associate chair of the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope.

Nina Chavez, MBA, FACMPE, chief operating officer, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Ltd., discusses if she thinks biosimilars will play a role in lowering costs in coming years.

Understanding the cultural backgrounds and beliefs of patients with MS allows clinicians to provide effective care, said Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, ANP, associate director at the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at Mount Sinai.

Providing patients with financial counseling related to their potential treatment costs alleviates financial burdens and promotes efficient care, said Rhett Wilkerson, BA, director of patient financial services dedicated to American Oncology Network at Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.