Payers

New revenue models in healthcare are causing innovative payer-provider partnerships. John Harris, MBA, spoke about some of these new partnerships and how all stakeholders must consider each other's mindsets when choosing a model that works for them.

Implementing an accountable care organization model can be a rigorous process. With so many stakeholders, it is necessary for all those involved in the process to collaborate and communicate effectively throughout the transition. For these reasons, it is essential for any organization to have the proper leadership in place to ensure a smooth implementation.

Michael E. Chernew, PhD; Lee N. Newcomer, MD, MHA; and Sandra M. Swain, MD; examine the treatment benefits, cost concerns, and insurance coverage strategies for pertuzumab.

Mark Zitter, MBA, CEO of the Zitter Group, states that oncology pathways can standardize the way care is delivered while improving quality and reducing costs.

To improve formulary design processes and support payers in providing more effective healthcare, policy makers should consider involving commercial payers in the development of comparative effectiveness research and creation of research and treatment guidelines.

Comparative effectiveness research and pragmatic clinical trials are valued methods to address the limitations of traditional randomized trials, answer questions of cost-effectiveness or noninferiority, and inform data-driven dialogue and decision making by stakeholders.

As physicians enter a new world of therapies for molecularly defined lung cancer, it will be critical for hospitals, drug companies, and insurance companies to work out the interplay of molecular testing and coverage for expensive therapies that are effective but only in smaller, defined groups of patients.

Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) and The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) join efforts to highlight work focusing on issues affecting payers and providers.