Community Oncology Alliance (COA)

With the 2024 Community Oncology Conference, from the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), set to kick off this week in Orlando, Florida, The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke with Emily Touloukian, DO, COA board member and 1 of 6 cochairs for this year’s meeting, on highlights from the packed agenda and the power of advocacy.

As pressure from the Biden administration on UnitedHealth Group increases, physicians' groups weigh in following the unprecedented hack on Change Healthcare.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA), which represents independent cancer care practices, has asked CMS to act following a dramatic drop in reimbursements from Express Scripts, Inc. effective January 1, 2024.

Miriam J. Atkins, MD, FACP, president of the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the impact of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on health care costs and offers potential ways to remedy certain CMS decisions that negatively affect oncologists and their patients.

At this year’s Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, leaders from across all facets of the cancer care space engaged in thought-provoking panel discussions and debates. They have a common aim: to optimize cancer care delivery and ensure patients have a positive experience throughout their cancer care journey.

A one-size-fits-all approach to alternative payment models (APMs) often isn’t very fair to community practices, said Miriam Atkins, MD, FACP, president of the Community Oncology Alliance.

Join Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support, Community Oncology Alliance (COA) as she explores improving health treatments for marginalized communities and how to apply it to the oncology population.

This year’s top 5 most-listened to podcasts included topics on digital health solutions, cardiology, value-based care initiatives, and oncology.

Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support, Community Oncology Alliance (COA), discusses health equity initiatives and the challenges that follow.

Activity to regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) has started in the states and is trickling up to the federal level, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance.

The Enhancing Oncology Model is trying to address a number of the systemic challenges oncology faces without giving practices the tools and resources they need, said Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of policy, advocacy, and communications, Community Oncology Alliance.

Coverage of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine session with Zangmeister Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio.

The discussion, "Understanding Biomarkers and the Role They Play in Oncology," came during the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24 in Reston, Virginia.

There is bipartisan support in the Congress for the Community Oncology Alliance's (COA) key agenda items, with hope that some will pass by year’s end.

Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance, discusses early returns from the Enhancing Oncology Model and how community oncology practices are innovating in ways that can expand into other areas of medicine.

Community oncology practices are witnessing a new dynamic in which more Medicare-eligible patients are still covered by commercial insurance, according to speakers at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit, held October 23-24, 2023.

Miriam J. Atkins, MD, FACP, president of the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the challenges facing oncology today, such as physician and nurse recruitment and minority clinical trial enrollment.

At the 2023 COA Payer Exchange Summit being held October 23-24 in Reston, Virginia, Lalan Wilfong, MD, US Oncology Network, emphasizes the importance of oncology care equity, ensuring continuity of care, and enhancing care coordination.

The effects of flat or reduced reimbursements alongside inflation have been quantified in a report by Avalere Health, prepared for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA.)

The number one ingredient that an oncology-based alternative payment model needs to succeed is collaboration, explained Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of policy, advocacy, and communications, Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

The endorsements follow the group's lawsuit earlier this year to overturn CMS' interpretation of the Stark Law.

We are in the midst of a transformative time in oncology that could also be a little scary if you are not prepared, said Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of policy, advocacy, and communications, Community Oncology Alliance.

Coverage from the June 8, 2023, Institute for Value-Based Medicine session in Austin, Texas, held in partnership with Texas Oncology.

Jeff Patton, MD, CEO of OneOncology, joins Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for episode 3 of "Oncology Onward: Conversations With Innovators and Changemakers in Cancer Care."

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for episode 2 of our newest podcast, "Oncology Onward: Conversations With Innovators and Changemakers in Cancer Care."

While the final number of EOM practices will be fewer than the numbers in the OCM, the presence of Tennessee Oncology, Texas Oncology, and Northwest Medical Specialties will ensure participation of key leaders who succeeded in the OCM and have weighed in on what's needed in its replacement.

The Enhancing Oncology Model, announced in July 2022 during the final days of its predecessor, the Oncology Care Model (OCM), has a similar framework as the early alternative payment model for oncology in Medicare, but there are key differences in reimbursement and especially in practices’ requirements to take on risk.