Interviews

Andrew Leitner, MD, City of Hope, highlights the essential role of supportive care in improving the quality of life of patients with cancer undergoing treatment.

JT Lew, PharmD, MBA, managed care pharmacist at MultiCare Health System, spoke to the impacts of processes such as prior authorization and step therapy requirements in the realm of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Linda Bosserman, MD, PhD, FASCO, FACP, of City of Hope, highlights challenges in cancer care, focusing on improving access to accurate diagnoses and treatments, promoting patient-centered approaches, and fostering collaboration to achieve better outcomes.

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, of City of Hope, discusses how he envisions the future of cancer care over the next decade.

Chris Barton, LCSW, of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, explores how the Youth Behavioral Health Strategy program focuses on addressing the specific needs of youth with mental health and substance use issues through a comprehensive approach.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota has created daily conversations about how to incorporate the use of cannabis into treatment plans for patients with cancer, explained Marie Parish, PharmD, BCOP, of Mayo Clinic.

Dax Kurbegov, MD, senior vice president of Sarah Cannon Cancer Network, discussed divides between payers, health systems, and oncology care providers, as well as the impacts these divides can have on patients.

As the pharmacist’s role has evolved in the last decade, they’ve become an important part of reducing costs and better managing patients, explained Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, assistant professor, Mayo Clinic College of Medicines and Science.

Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, director of formulary management at Sutter Health, discusses how group purchasing organizations (GPOs) influence integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and hospitals in making formulary decisions, including the adoption of biosimilars.

Steve Pickette, PharmD, BCPS, explains that artificial intelligence (AI)–driven formulary analysis can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of drug selection processes by rapidly compiling and analyzing evidence.

JT Lew, PharmD, MBA, highlights that the primary challenges for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in accessing prescribed medications include dealing with the shock of the diagnosis, navigating complex health plan benefits and out-of-pocket costs, and experiencing delays due to insurance barriers.

Despite lacking some data, there is some information on which patients with cancer shouldn’t be recommended cannabis or certain cannabis products, said Marie Parish, PharmD, BCOP, a gastrointestinal oncology pharmacist with Mayo Clinic.

Jason Romancik, MD, a board-certified hematologist at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, discusses the current treatment landscape in aggressive lymphoma and drivers of high care costs.

While it can seem overwhelming or difficult to decide where to start addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care, the key is to focus on a manageable area that can be built upon.

Patients with cancer will never completely replace existing pain regimens, but cannabis could be used in conjunction, explained Marie Parish, PharmD, BCOP, a gastrointestinal oncology pharmacist with Mayo Clinic.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH, Emory University School of Medicine, explained biological and structural obstacles to equitable breast cancer outcomes and care across racial and ethnic groups.

Maria Amaya, MD, PhD, University of Colorado School of Medicine, explores discrepancies between real-world data and clinical trial outcomes, as well as her experience ensuring the reliability of real-world analysis.

Andrew Hantel, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses factors contributing to disparities in oncology clinical trial enrollment.

Michael A. Choti, MD, MBA, Banner MD Anderson, cochaired the second annual Advancing Value-Based Oncology Care meeting and shared insights into the goals of this year's event and value-based medicine as a whole.

Matthew Callister, MD, Banner Health, discusses the advantage of value-based oncology care as a platform for collaboration.

The University Hospitals CINEMA program aims to address issues and narrow gaps in obesity management, with a focus on meeting patients where they are and providing them tools for success, says Ian Neeland, MD.

Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, explains how the US health care industry needs to shift from measuring body mass index and obesity to measuring cardiometabolic health, which affects 93% of Americans, including children.

Jeff Levin-Scherz, MD, MBA, population health leader at WTW, explains that obesity care in the US is inconsistent and costly, with significant gaps across Medicare, Medicaid, and employer-based insurance.

Yael Mauer, MD, MPH, discusses the patient population who benefits most from interventions with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies and explores the underlying mechanisms at work.

Stacey Ehrenberg, MD, discusses the lacking data and potential implications of using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists during pregnancy for patients with diabetes and/or obesity.

In addition to sharing research related to disparities and inequities in the cardiometabolic space, Rashon Lane, PhD, MA, Sutter Health, discussed “how we might need to think differently about how we are intervening on disparities.”

Diana Isaacs, PharmD, chair of a recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event hosted in conjunction with Cleveland Clinic, details the up-and-coming therapies impacting the scope of treatment in diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic health, as well as their associated challenges.

Diabetes treatment goals vary based on age and diabetes type, with more focus on managing insulin levels for children and adolescents while addressing comorbid conditions like obesity and hypertension for adults, said Beau Raymond, MD, MMM, FACP, of Ochsner Health Network.