Oncology

Results of the first annual National Cancer Opinion Survey, established by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), show that the majority of Americans are unaware of several key risk factors for cancer, and that a minority are taking active steps to reduce their personal risk.

Tuple Health, a healthcare technology startup, interviewed some of the stakeholders participating in value-based care delivery and OCM, to gain their perspective of the state of cancer care and healthcare reform. The results were presented at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform.

Representatives from 3 payers who partnered with providers on the Oncology Care Model (OCM) took the stage at Community Oncology Alliance (COA)’s Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform to outline their experience with OCM and how it has differed from other care models.

Education is key to succeed in the Oncology Care Model, but presenting data in a simple format for clinicians to use is also critical, said Terrill Jordan, CEO, of Regional Cancer Care Associates.

Researchers developed additional guidance for using granulocyte colony-stimulating factors to optimize pegfilgrastim use in clinical practices for patients at risk of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia.

Before physicians will be more willing to take on 2-sided risk, there needs to be clearer metrics that the physicians know will be achievable, said Sarah Cevallos, chief revenue cycle officer at Florida Cancer Specialists.

Option value is the benefit a therapy provides patients by enabling them to survive to the next innovation.

The implementation of the Oncology Care Model has brought profound culture changes to how oncologists take care of patients and how they operate practices, explained Lucio Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists.

With the Oncology Care Model now in its second year, 3 representatives discussed learnings and how the program can change, as well as incentivizing physicians to accept 2-sided risk, the ability to engage additional payers, and the future of oncology bundle payments.

Participants from 2 oncology community practices—an oncologist–administrator combination—shared their experience with implementing the Oncology Care Model (OCM) with attendees at the Community Oncology Alliance’s Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, held October 23-24, in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

The study found that prophylactic locoregional surgery (LRS) for asymptomatic patients with small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) provided no survival advantage compared with delayed LRS.

A new study has found that uninsurance rates declined the most in patients with distant disease and with lung and bronchial cancer. Hispanic patients also saw a large decrease in uninsurance rates.

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.

This week, the top managed care news included the bipartisan deal to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets; coverage from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus; and a plan to reduce clinician burnout at the computer.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) has been approved to treat adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who have not responded to or who have relapsed after at least 2 other kinds of treatment.

The 2-year follow up results from the Keynote-024 trial were presented at the 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in Yokohama, Japan.

There is a relationship between CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) survival, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology.

An in-depth look into a nationwide collaborative initiative to standardize and improve oncology dispensing practices for the benefit of patient/provider education, adherence, and overall care.

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, of Express Scripts kicked off the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2017 Nexus, held October 16-19 in Dallas, Texas, with a presentation on the pipeline of specialty pharmaceuticals in development.

The immunotherapy drug, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is recommended for use within the Cancer Drug Fund.

The authors used Medicare claims data to examine trends in hospital–physician integration in high-volume specialties, including medical oncology.

The study found that young patients with leukemia who have been vaccinated against the influenza virus are as susceptible to develop flu as their unvaccinated peers.

With the clinical and financial implications of high-cost medications, and their impact on health system revenue, it is of utmost importance for all key stakeholders to be engaged in the complex revenue cycle.

The study showed that using tumor mutation burden (TMB) can be beneficial for predicting patient response to the combination of 2 immuno-oncology therapies.