Oncology

Reality seems so simple. We just open our eyes and there it is. But that doesn’t mean it is simple. Penn and Teller

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.

By communicating with oncologists, Flatiron enhances their understanding of potential issues in clinics and how technology can enhance clinical workflow, said Bobby Green, MD, chief medical officer at Flatiron.

Tesh Khullar, senior vice president & advisor, Flatiron Health, explains what efforts are needed to make sure providers are comfortable prescribing biosimilars.

We learn most when we have benchmarking and we can examine our own processes of care, explained Michael Kolodziej, MD, vice president and chief innovation officer at ADVI Health, Inc.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

AJMC®TV interviews let you catch up on what’s new and important about changes in healthcare, with insights from key decision makers—from the clinician, to the health plan leader, to the regulator.

Managed care and clinical updates in cancer treatment.

Speakers from major area cancer centers and Independence Blue Cross addressed progress in implementing value-based care initiatives during a session held September 19, 2019.

Speakers at the September 12, 2019, Policy Summit of the National Comprehensive Cancer Center, held in Washington, DC, addressed what practices have learned from experience with the Oncology Care Model and what steps must occur to standardize patient reported outcomes to incorporate them into reporting.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

This week, the top managed care news included a new guide that balances curbs on opioid abuse with the needs of patients with chronic pain; HHS proposed reforming antikickback rules to help boost value-based care; a report found flaws with Medicaid work requirements.

In a commentary adapted from the organization's official response to CMS' proposal, the author highlights potential challenges that proposed alternative payment model presents for members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Although results of other recent studies have noted the rise in the rate of obesity-related cancers among younger adults, this is the first study to also find a concurrent decrease in the rate of new cancer cases among patients 65 years and older.

Offering clinical trials is paramount, explained Bradley Prechtl, MBA, chief executive officer of Florida Cancer Specialists and the American Oncology Network.

Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, an oncologist who specializes in breast cancer and who serves as executive vice president at Texas Oncology, discusses the effect of obesity on cancer treatment as well as prevention strategies.

Obesity is associated with a number of adverse health-related complications and carries an elevated individual all-cause mortality risk. It would be hard to overstate the increased adverse health outcomes for obese individuals. What is far less well recognized by the general public is the significant link between obesity and increased cancer risk.

Practices are going to have to decide which biosimilar manufacturers they want to be able to partner with, explained Tesh Khullar, senior vice president & advisor, Flatiron Health.

The most common primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, is driven by fatty liver disease and is among the most prevalent and deadly of cancers driven by obesity. Rising rates of overweight and obesity parallel increased rates of obesogenic cancers, which increased 7% between 2005 and 2014.

Patients on Medicare with metastatic breast cancer who receive treatment that is discordant with NCCN guidelines bear a greater burden of patient cost responsibility than patients who do receive care according to treatment guidelines.

Initiating sustainable growth in clinical practices can be difficult, but through economies of scale derived from partnerships and performance data collection, optimal care can be administered efficiently, said Erich Mounce, chief operating officer, OneOncology.

Amila Patel, PharmD, BCOP, technical lead, Clinical Oncology, Flatiron Health, discusses how Flatiron is working to implement clinical workflow features that expand beyond the electronic health record (EHR).

Michael Kolodziej, MD, vice president and chief innovation officer at ADVI Health, Inc., outlines the trends he expects to see in the coming years that will impact oncology.

The healthcare system has gotten better at placing more of a priority on patient-centered care, but the progress has been slow, said James Hamrick, MD, senior medical director at Flatiron Health.