Latest Conference Articles

During a session at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, panelists discussed the benefits of integrative oncology and nutrition for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

Somatostatin analogs have 2 roles in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETS): treating symptoms related to the tumors and controlling tumor growth, explained Heloisa Soares, MD, assistant professor, University of New Mexico Cancer Center-Albuquerque.

An interim analysis of somatostatin analog lanreotide depot presented at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting, held October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington, found that the treatment was effective in disease control and most patients were satisfied with the treatment.

Two studies presented at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society annual meeting October 4-6 in Seattle, Washington assessed different tools for determining quality of life among patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

The proposed CMS regulation to change the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) so that accountable care organizations (ACOs) take on risk faster creates a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t allow for variability, said Joe Antos, PhD, the Wilson H. Taylor Resident Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

Since they foot the bill for a lot of Americans’ healthcare costs, employers have a lot vested in the health of their populations and have been involved with pushing for healthcare transformation, said Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform.

After identifying patients with social needs, the best way to intervene and get them into needed resources is going to vary a lot, said Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research and lead research scientist at OCHIN.

While healthcare providers shouldn’t be expected to provide additional services outside of healthcare, they should be able to make referrals to things like child care or food banks, said Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research and lead research scientist at OCHIN.

The pace of change to value-based payments has been happening quickly, but the real test is whether or not these payments produce higher quality and more affordable care, said Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform.

In some ways, healthcare is ready to take on addressing social determinants of health, but there still needs to be a cultural shift in mindset in a lot of ways, said Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research and lead research scientist at OCHIN.

A leader at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement offers a framework for diabetes educators to embrace a shift in thinking about healthcare delivery.

Tim Gronniger, MPP, MHSA, senior vice president of development and strategy at Caravan Health, discusses the struggles that organizations face when attempting to make a switch to new payment models, and how that switch can be improved in the future.

Three federal officials discussed the status of research, payer coverage, and referrals for the National Diabetes Prevention Program, as well as the rollout of the Medicare program for eligible seniors.

The rise of digital health alongside the transformation of reimbursement from fee-for-service to value-based care is allowing patients to fully participate in their own care, according to a leader with one of the top digital health companies in diabetes care.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, FACP, chief medical officer and senior vice president at Joslin Diabetes Center, said health systems need people with the skill sets that diabetes educators possess to make the transition to a reimbursement system based on quality, prevention, and eliminating costs.

I would say that we’re making progress in terms of engaging consumers in quality of care, explained Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, professor, Health Policy and Administration, and director, Center for Health Care and Policy Research, Pennsylvania State University.

Technology is starting to help identify patients with social determinants of health issues, but there remain gaps in connecting that data in the electronic health record (EHR) to resources, said Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research and lead research scientist at OCHIN.

Hospital leaders are concerned about how to get ready to take on more risk, said Tim Gronniger, MPP, MHSA, senior vice president of development and strategy at Caravan Health.

In markets with a lot of provider consolidation, employers are looking at innovative ways to deliver care to their employees for less money, such as on-site clinics or telehealth, explained Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, MPH, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform. VIDE

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses challenges with managing patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and how clinical trials provide another treatment approach for these patients.

Organizations are trying to think about how they can involve team-based care by incorporating individuals who have a certain skill set that can relieve the practicing clinician, physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant from some of the burden, explained Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, professor, Health Policy and Administration, and director, Center for Health Care and Policy Research, Pennsylvania State University.

The free flow of data needs to be an intrinsic part of the way we think about healthcare in this country, said Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM, the Harold H. Hines Jr professor, Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, and director, Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital.

With little evidence, it is still difficult to know how to screen patients for social determinants of health issues, explained Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research and lead research scientist at OCHIN.

Individuals, families, and local, state, and federal government all have incurred costs as a result of the opioid epidemic, explained Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, professor, Health Policy and Administration, and director, Center for Health Care and Policy Research, Pennsylvania State University.

We know that there are a lot of problems with precision medicine and lots of areas that we need to define better, but that shouldn’t stop us from moving forward and trying to optimize the care for our patients, said Michael Thompson, MD, PhD, FASCO, Aurora Advanced Healthcare.

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, outlines the role of adjuvant therapy in treating patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, as well as the absence of biomarkers in this patient population.

If we’re truly serious about being outcomes oriented in healthcare, we can’t come near accomplishing what we’d like to accomplish without direct intervention with regard to social determinants, explained Clifford Goodman, PhD, senior vice president and director, Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research, The Lewin Group.

We need to bring together our real-world data and our reimbursement systems to recognize the fact that a lot of what could be gained by precision medicine is going to be based on a lot of research, explained Peter Paul Yu, MD, FASCO, FACP, physician-in-chief, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Center.