Interviews

Fee-for-service payment models have not been successful in the field of palliative care, where small practices seem to work better under flexible programs like per member per month, said Allison Silvers, vice president of payment and policy at the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

According to Daniel J. Klein, president and CEO of the Patient Access Network Foundation, patients now have an easier time accessing the high-cost treatments they need, thanks to certain policies and programs. Klein also anticipates that a recently-passed law will bring down the prices of some prescription drugs.

There are changes and clarifications to definitions that are needed in the 340B program, but that won't likely happen anytime soon in this Congress. In the meantime, various stakeholders should take the time to educate one another on what the program means to them, said Neil Minkoff, MD, chief medical officer of EmpiraMed.

The Samfund is primarily known for its grant funding programs that help young adults with financial struggles after having cancer, but founder and CEO Samantha Watson discussed how the organization has expanded into providing financial literacy education and other tools to support the community of cancer patients.

The results of the EINSTEIN-CHOICE late-breaking trial comparing the effectiveness of rivaroxaban versus aspirin for preventing venous thromboembolism were presented at the American College of Cardiology 66th Scientific Session. According to Alex C. Spyropoulos, MD, FACP, FCCP, FRCPC, professor of medicine at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, these findings could shift the paradigm of long-term thrombosis prevention strategies.

Racial or ethnic minorities are less likely to have insurance that covers treatments for obesity, even though they are at higher risk of the disease, explained Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FTOS, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Hennepin Health’s integrated approach to care coordination for complex patients requires a broader definition of care teams and clinics, explained Ross Owen, health strategy director of Hennepin County.

As a career employee in an increasingly partisan atmosphere, Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, the new director of the National Library of Medicine, has the benefit of being one-step removed from political upheaval, while still being close to a political appointee to ensure her work is aligned with new policies.

One of the best ways to increase compliance when treating diabetes is to ensure patients fully understand the importance of treatment, according to Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FACE, FNLA, medical director and principal investigator at the Metabolic Institute of America. However, this can be difficult for physicians with a limited amount of time for patient visits.

An analysis of Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) revealed that those with more primary care physicians performed better on preventive care quality measures and infrastructure and financing were also predictive of better performance, explained Mariétou Ouayogodé, PhD, post-doctoral fellow at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Oncology care management helps coordinate the clinical aspects of cancer treatment, but it would also be helpful to have a benefits manager to help guide patients through their many options, said Marianne Fazen, PhD, president and CEO of the Texas Business Group on Health.

At the PAN Foundation Cost-Sharing Roundtable, a variety of voices were represented from across healthcare to discuss the importance of the safety net, explained Daniel J. Klein, president and CEO of the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation.

Before Allison Silvers became vice president of payment and policy at the Center to Advance Palliative Care, she ran an information center that helped the elderly. In both of these roles, she has helped people make the best possible choices after evaluating all of their options.

CAR-T cell treatment can have a number of side effects, with the most serious being cytokine release syndrome, according to David L. Porter, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. However, there are some promising therapies like interleukin-6 blockers that can reverse this reaction.

Faced with an overwhelming amount of healthcare settings and information, patients with diabetes could find that digital health tools are a powerful resource for managing their illness, according to Heather Zacker, MS, senior director of Care Alliances of Joslin Innovation at Joslin Diabetes Center.

Providers have a responsibility to discuss the costs of cancer care with their patients earlier on, so the patients aren’t blindsided by enormous bills, said Samantha Watson, founder and CEO of The Samfund. These conversations would help patients prepare for the financial realities associated with cancer.

As more organizations begin to issue guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, they will incorporate recommendations to determine whether a drug is working. One option that can help give effective care and streamline patient managements is the use of the Vectra DA test, explained Grace C. Wright, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine and attending rheumatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center.

Aetna is in the process of transforming from a traditional health insurance company to becoming a healthcare-focused company, in part by emphasizing value-based reimbursement and social determinants of health, said Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Aetna.

It can be difficult at times for the Florida Health Care Coalition to meet the needs of every stakeholder, but the patient’s best interest is always at the center, said Karen van Caulil, PhD, president and CEO of the Florida Health Care Coalition. The organization works with task forces and advisory groups to find solutions that put the patient first.

Children need support from their families to fight obesity, as they lack the tools to change their diet and exercise patterns alone, according to Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FTOS, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Getting obesity under control in childhood is key to reducing the risk of negative health outcomes later in life.

Behind the scenes there are a number of advances that Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, director of the National Library of Medicine, would like to see take place to make it easier to get literature into people's hands.

Original research is necessary to overcome the challenges inherent in our healthcare system, in part by helping us fully understand various behavioral incentives, said Zirui Song, MD, PhD, resident at Massachusetts General Hospital.

With new technologies that allow insulin to be delivered much more easily and at a targeted speed, diabetes treatment is less likely to interfere with patients’ lives, explained Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FACE, FNLA, medical director and principal investigator at the Metabolic Institute of America.

Palliative care can help alleviate the suffering and symptoms that go along with serious disease, making it an important component when caring for complex, high-need patients, said Allison Silvers, vice president of payment and policy at the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

In order to develop shared decision-making, physicians must build trusting relationships with patients and be mindful of cultural biases, according to Heather Zacker, MS, senior director of Care Alliances of Joslin Innovation at Joslin Diabetes Center. She also encouraged practices to develop a unified direction to ensure incentives are aligned for the entire care team.

Empathy is the root of dignity for patients, and healthcare providers need to consciously adjust their communication styles to demonstrate that empathy, according to Melissa Thompson, MBA, healthcare strategist, patient, and self-advocate. Some examples include not discussing the patient without including them and using inclusive language that brings the patient and provider together.

According to Alex C. Spyropoulos, MD, FACP, FCCP, FRCPC, professor of medicine at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, research on rivaroxaban to prevent thrombosis is moving from determining efficacy to evaluating patient-centered outcomes in a variety of clinical situations, as evidenced by new studies like EINSTEIN-CHOICE and the MARINER trial.

E. Magnus Ohman, MD, FRCPI, FESC, FACC, FSCAI, professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, discussed the results of the GEMINI-ACS-1 trial comparing rivaroxaban and aspirin in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which he and his co-authors presented at the American College of Cardiology 66th Scientific Session. They found no significant differences in the primary endpoints and ischemic outcomes, though further research will be necessary to inform clinical practice.