Interviews

Milena Pavlova, MD, neurologist and medical director of the sleep testing center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, discusses the profound effect obstructive sleep apnea has on epilepsy as well as cognition.

At Asembia 2023, there will be a call to action for participants to adjust their current business models and advocate for access to biosimilars with lower list costs, explained Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum.

Shruti Agnihotri, MD, associate professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham, discusses how value-based care can help patients who experience neurologic chronic disease states after COVID-19, in addition to patients with conditions like stroke and dementia.

Nicole Rosendale, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, neurologist/neurohospitalist, talks about how data on the LGBTQ+ community in the neurology space is needed in order to provide effective value-based health care.

Jacque Sokolov, MD, president and chairman at SSB Solutions, previews his keynote presentation and discusses the unique, shifting health care atmosphere leading into the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) Spring Managed Care Forum 2023.

By better understanding the nature of atopic dermatitis and its varying comorbidities, providers might be able to better predict patient outcomes, said Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Nicholas Bagley, JD, of Michigan Law, University of Michigan, explained what the Braidwood v Becerra court case was about and how the ruling affected preventive care across the country.

Jessica Robinson-Papp, MD, MS, professor of neurology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses how neurologic symptoms in individuals with HIV can present in various places in the body while also possibly pointing to a neurologic condition.

Nicole Rosendale, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco, neurologist/neurohospitalist, discusses how many unknowns prevail in data concerning neurologic care for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Gene therapy has the promise of being one and done, but it isn’t always that way for all patients, which leaves questions about where these therapies fit in the commercial landscape, said Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, of Retina Consultants of Texas and the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Judy Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, director of clinical initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the importance of making sure oncology practices are educated about their value-based enterprise exception when mailing patients their cancer medications.

While employers fall on a spectrum when it comes to knowledge and understanding of biosimilars, there does remain a need to educate them, as well as for them to educate their employees, said Margaret Rehayem, vice president, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

For all the success the hematology/oncology space has seen over the past 20-plus years, difficult discussions now focus on paying for that care, explained David A. Eagle, MD, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists.

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president at Texas Oncology, explains the small potential risk of breast cancer associated with hormonal birth control.

Natalia Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, chief of the stroke division at Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Science Committee, previews the annual meeting and provides a glimpse into what the conference has to offer and its legacy of 75 years.

David Spencer, MD, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and professor of neurology at Oregon Health and Science University, previews the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting for 2023 and says that attendees can expect not only to learn but also to leave feeling humbled and inspired.

Lack of knowledge about how skin conditions present on lightly pigmented skin has resulted in diagnostic delays, underassessment, and an impact on quality of life for patients with skin of color.

Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support at the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the benefits of collecting social determinants of health data for both the patient and provider.

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, reviews emerging therapeutics being investigated for the prevention and treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) that occurs in preterm babies can progress fast, which requires quick decisions early about treatment, explained Darius M. Moshfeghi, MD, chief, Retina Division, and professor at the Horngren Family Vitreoretinal Center, Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine.

Each patient needs to weigh the benefits and risks of genetic testing for melanoma and have someone who can take the time to explain everything, including insurance risks, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.

Amy Valley, vice president for clinical strategy and technology solutions at Cardinal Health, weighs both the benefits and potential risks of physicians using artificial intelligence technology in their oncology practices.

There are various areas across different patient care and support perspectives that offer opportunities to improve value-based care in oncology, said Ryan Huey, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The Employer Playbook on Biosimilars highlights strategies employers can use to navigate challenges around ensuring employee access to biosimilars at the pharmacy, as well as how to respond to pharmacy benefit managers who aren’t making biosimilars available on the formulary, said Margaret Rehayem, vice president, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains the antibody subtypes associated with this rare neuromuscular disease.

Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, discusses the use of biosimilars and how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as well as payers have challenged the biosimilar market.

Not only are Black and Brown communities, as well as neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status, disproportionately impacted by climate change, but these communities are not as readily able to adapt to mitigate the impacts climate change has on health.

Banner|Aetna's partnership with Virta and their diabetes reversal program brings to light the possibility for expansion to other health issues.