Interviews

Tiffany Meng, PharmD, oncology pharmacist, UCSF Health, discusses ways that pharmacists can help guide patients to financial assistance programs to help facilitate better access to breast cancer therapies.

The cause of age-related macular degeneration can be varied and symptoms are often not recognized immediately, according to Hasenin Al-khersan, MD.

Julie Rodman, OD, MS, FAAO, discusses how optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) can be used to diagnose and manage diabetic retinopathy.

I. Benjamin Gaddie, OD, FAAO, summarized the best forms of treating and managing demodex blepharitis.

With the potential for future pandemics, Chun Chao, PhD, MS, emphasizes the importance of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on cancer care, particularly for patients with ovarian cancer.

Histotripsy shows promise for treating liver tumors with minimal adverse effects, but limited long-term data and insurance hurdles hinder its adoption, says Shaun P. McKenzie, MD, FACS, of Texas Oncology.

Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, professor of medicine at Stanford Medicine, medical oncologist, and director for the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) when it comes to accessing innovative breast cancer treatments.

The Braidwood Management v Becerra decision could require payers to step up to continue covering preventive services, depending on the decision, according to Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH.

More cost-effectiveness studies evaluating bispecific antibody or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies are necessary for enhancing care in myeloma and lymphoma.

Reducing the number of intravitreal injections to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a top priority in current treatment research, says Paul Hahn, MD, PhD.

Jeffrey Stark, MD, vice president, head of medical immunology, UCB, discusses ongoing clinical trials and the development of real-world data to understand the effectiveness of bimekizumab-bkzx in a broader context.

Long COVID is the chronic manifestation of lasting symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection that can last for at least 3 months, with shortness of breath and system inefficiency often remaining central issues for many patients.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Arthur L. Jenkins III, MD, FACS, CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, to explore the intersection of advanced surgical care for sport-related neurospine injuries and managed care systems.

Jeffrey Stark, MD, vice president and head of medical immunology at UCB, analyzes the Bimzelx Navigate program, a comprehensive support system developed to empower patients prescribed bimekizumab-bkzx (Bimzelx; UCB).

Therapy timing, patient factors, and emerging combination interventions are guiding treatment decisions in multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

On February 13, Allogene Therapeutics published new long-term follow-up data on cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, showing the investigative allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy produced durable responses in relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

The rising frequency of natural disasters due to climate change could make health plans more susceptible to significant negative effects, according to Maria DeYoreo, PhD, of RAND Corporation.

Although histotripsy can successfully destroy tumors in the liver, longer-term data are still needed to see recurrence rates and overall survival, said Shaun P. McKenzie, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist with Texas Oncology.

Although her recent study acknowledges potential differences between White and non-White patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Rebecca Haberman, MD, NYU Langone Health, emphasizes the need for further research to understand what these differences are and why they occur.

Gladys Antelo-Allen, Camden Coalition, shares the necessary skills to effectively equip supervisors to lead their teams and support individuals with complex health and social needs.

Knowing the risk factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and consulting an ophthalmologist or optometrist can help to maintain vision, says Hasenin Al-khersan, MD.

Jade E. Jones, MD, of Emory Winship Cancer Institute, shares how considering patients' travel needs, social services, and insurance concerns can help improve access to care.

The study found no evidence that geographically limited disasters significantly reduced annual quality performance scores, highlighting the resilience of these programs.

Eligibility issues, a need for better multidisciplinary collaboration, and a lack of incorporation in community practices are all barriers to the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery for patients with primary urethral cancer, said Rohan Garje, MD.

Susan Escudier, MD, FACP, discusses the impact of insurance coverage gaps, transportation barriers, and financial hardships on cancer care access and emphasizes the need for payers to better support patients at high risk.

Ioana Bonta, MD, Georgia Cancer Specialists, discusses the evolving state of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatments, their impact on patient outcomes, and the need to address ongoing disparities in these populations.

In the wake of novel bispecific and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies for various cancers, geography still plays a big role in patients' abilities to receive such treatments.

In part 3 of this conversation, Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, discusses why basic scientific research remains essential and how patient experiences contribute.