Oncology

Coverage of the first half of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine® (IVBM®) session held September 19, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. IVBM® is an initiative of The American Journal of Managed Care®.

CMS is trying to make a 2-sided risk model in the Oncology Care Model enticing for practices, but there is still a lot of math practices need to work out before making the decision, said Blase Polite, MD, associate professor of medicine and the executive director for accountable care at the University of Chicago.

The more engaged patients who have more access to their data and are more informed about what’s going on are actually going to have better outcomes most of the time, explained James Hamrick, MD, senior medical director at Flatiron Health.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute and Humana Inc. have signed a new multiyear agreement that provides Humana members with in-network access to FCS’ comprehensive range of oncology services.

CMS' new radiation oncology payment model is slated to begin on January 1, 2020, but the significant billing changes that the model requires will require more time.

As rising drug costs continue to take up a larger portion of the total cost of care, practices in the Oncology Care Model find themselves in control of a shrinking portion of total costs, according to anecdotes from an academic medical center and a community-based practice during the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Policy Summit held September 12 in Washington, DC.

Lani M. Alison, BSN, MS, HCQ, PCMH, CCE, vice president of Clinical Affairs, Regional Cancer Care Associates, explains how the implementation of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) allowed practices to better integrate palliative care.

Innovation that transform cancer care delivery have to be multi-level, explained Iuliana Shapira, MD, chief medical officer, Regional Cancer Care Associates.

There are less surprises in the results for performance period 4 of the Oncology Care Model, and practices seem to be mostly happier with how they’ve done, said Mike Fazio, senior vice president of client services, Archway Health.

Lani M. Alison, BSN, MS, HCQ, PCMH, CCE, vice president of Clinical Affairs, Regional Cancer Care Associates, explains the questions that patients have about oncology care pathways and treatment guidelines.

The cost of radiation oncology services has typically been a small part of the Medicare and Medicaid budget, but with more patients having complex radiation treatments, it is becoming more important to have alternative payment models in the space, said Shalom Kalnicki, MD, FASTRO, FACRO, professor and chairman, radiation oncology, Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Unlike cancers common in adults, childhood cancers are unlikely to be prevented by screening.

Iuliana Shapira, MD, chief medical officer, Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA), discusses how RCCA is managing the higher costs of immuno-oncology drugs in value-based care.

Cancer treatment raises the risk of heart disease in childhood cancer survivors, as does diabetes and hypertension.

When seniors with cancer are being treated with combination therapies, providers need to keep in mind more than just the complex regimens they’re administering, said Ginah Nightingale, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Jefferson College of Pharmacy.

Finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, which is among the deadliest cancers, will require both systemic therapy and local therapy, researchers said.

A new study shows a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials for cancer drugs, highlighting issues currently being addressed by the FDA.

Lani M. Alison, BSN, MS, HCQ, PCMH, CCE, vice president of Clinical Affairs, Regional Cancer Care Associates, discusses how providers discuss the Oncology Care Model (OCM) with patients and the questions they ask about it.

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Chronic pain, obesity and cancer, multiple myeloma patterns, pancreatic cancer screening updates, and more.

Coverage from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Policy Summit held June 27, 2019, in Washington, DC.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves... Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)

Scientists uncovered a rare, inherited gene mutation, known as RABL3, that raises the risk of pancreatic and other cancers.

The founder of Oneinforty discusses the importance of identifying populations at high risk of hereditary cancers, as well as the need for education, testing, and other steps to prevent cancer.

The Institute for Value-Based Medicine®, an initiative of The American Journal of Managed Care®, traveled to Teaneck, New Jersey, for presentations in partnership with Regional Cancer Care Associates.