Latest Conference Articles

Referencing patients as attributable examples of necessary care has assisted in developing strategies for pharmacy and medication benefits, said Jeremy Whalen, PharmD, BCOP, Specialty Clinical Program Director for Oncology at Prime Therapeutics.

New high-cost therapies require new financing mechanisms, but the challenge is coming to an agreement on what should be considered in these new payment models, said Jane Barlow, MD, MPH, MBA, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Real Endpoints.

As the number of high-cost orphan drugs and gene and cell therapies continues to grow, there will be a greater need for alternative payment models to help figure out the best way to pay for these treatments.

Proposed changes to the Stark Law that would make collaboration easier have purposely excluded pharmaceutical manufacturers, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

Practices participating in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) have been interested in understanding the data and what it tells them about how to focus their efforts, said Mike Fazio, senior vice president of client services, Archway Health.

The Oncology Care Model is a leading innovation in the move from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement in large part because CMS has made adjustments based on physician feedback, according to an agency official who addressed the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

As the number of expedited FDA approvals for cancer drugs that are based on surrogate end points increases, so does the need for new ways to uncover efficacy and safety data to justify the costs associated with these treatments. With the growth of data innovations and collaborations, the answer might be found in real-world evidence.

What would a successor to the Oncology Care Model (OCM) look like? Community oncologists discuss at the Payer Exchange Summit sponsored by the Community Oncology Alliance.

Heading into 2019, the idea that oncology practices would fully embrace financial responsibility for clinical decisions still seemed far-fetched for many. And yet, when it was time to make the call, moving to 2-sided risk proved a “simple” decision, said Travis Brewer of Texas Oncology, who took part in a panel offering an update on the Oncology Care Model (OCM) at the start of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, which opened Monday in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.

As costs for cancer care continue to rise, Pontchartrain Cancer Center does benefit and cost analyses for all patients before they start therapy and also takes into account any social needs they might have, said Kathy W. Oubre, MS, chief operating officer at Pontchartrain Cancer Center.

More practices than expected seem to be interested in staying in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and taking on downside risk, said Mike Fazio, senior vice president of client services, Archway Health.

There’s a question as to whether these metrics actually translate into what’s actually driving quality care, explained Loren Meyer, MD, president of HCA Physician Services, during a session at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum being held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mary Montgomery, MD, associate physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, discussed emerging treatment strategies for managing HIV during a session at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum, held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During a session at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum being held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kathryn Phillips, PhD, founding director of the University of California, San Francisco Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine (TRANSPERS), discussed the emergence and rise of genetic testing, the challenges of determining value and reimbursement, and what’s ahead for these tests.

As of November 2018, Medicaid is the largest healthcare program in the United States, covering 1 in 5 Americans, and over two-thirds of beneficiaries are enrolled in private managed care plans. Alongside this trend are shifts in care delivery under Medicaid, as well as challenges and solutions being posed by value-based care models, all of which was discussed during a session at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum being held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During a session on population health management at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum, held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cary Shames, DO, CHCQM, ABQAURP, vice president and chief medical officer, Sharp Health Plan, discussed using an integrated population health model to drive better quality and satisfaction of care while lowering costs.

Value-based models continue to enter the healthcare system, affecting a variety of fields, including primary care. And while success stories have been shared by payers and CMS touts these models as a way to “save” primary care, that's not the current reality, said Theresa Hush, chief executive officer of Roji Health Intelligence, LLC, during a session on population health management at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians 2019 Fall Managed Care Forum, held October 10-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in healthcare practices to risk stratify patients and identify interventions that will work, said John Frownfelter, MD, FACP, chief medical officer of Jvion.

A recent survey of patients with bipolar I disorder showed the extent to which they are so bothered by side effects to antipsychotic (AP) medications that they will stop taking them, or will trade more symptoms for fewer side effects.

The year 2018 was when cannabidiol (CBD) "jumped the shark," according to a nurse practitioner who works with patients who use it.

The idea that zero suicides are possible must begin with “the radical conviction that ideal healthcare is attainable,” said C. Edward Coffey, MD, affiliate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Genetics are increasingly playing a role in various aspects of healthcare, and mood and psychiatric disorders are no exception.

A proper diagnosis between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder have important implications as treatment decisions differ based on the diagnosis

Unraveling the possible causes and triggers of agitation in people with dementia is worthy of detective work, according to a recent presentation.

The survey results demonstrate an unmet need for new oral antipsychotics with favorable risk-benefit profiles, researchers said.

Clinicians need to keep certain facts about mental illness and unintended pregnancy in mind when treating female patients of reproductive age, said an expert in mental illness, pregnancy, and women's health.

As data continues to show increases in the rates of suicide in the United States, healthcare systems are grappling with addressing the issue in an effective and sustainable way.

Medication adherence is critical not only to clinical outcomes, such as preventing readmissions, but also to containing costs, with adverse outcomes as a result of nonadherence often resulting in higher costs for both the patient and the healthcare system. Ensuring adherence can be especially challenging among people with mood and psychotic disorders.