Benefits, Tradeoffs of Medically Integrated Dispensing in Oncology Care: Katherine Tobon, PharmD, BCOP

In this clip, Katherine Tobon, PharmD, BCOP, of Moffitt Cancer Center, defines medically integrated dispensing (MID), how it is implemented in oncology care settings, and the associated advantages and drawbacks.

This interview was conducted during last week’s Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Tampa, Florida, titled “Pioneering the Next Era of Oncology Care.” Tobon expanded on these topics during the panel, “Pharmacy at the Helm: Medically Integrated Dispensing in Oncology.”

This transcript was lightly edited; captions were auto-generated.

Transcript

For context, can you define MID and describe how it is implemented within oncology care settings?

Medically integrated dispensing is a care model in which the prescribing, the dispensing, as well as the monitoring all take place in 1 health care system rather than being dispersed to outside pharmacies.

How it's implemented is, really, you have an internal specialty pharmacy, an internal team that works together, as well as an internal clinical team to follow the patients as they receive these medications. We’re able to monitor and dispense all in-house, and it really helps with the patient outcomes.

What advantages do MID models offer to both patients and providers? Conversely, are there any limitations or drawbacks associated with these models?

Medically integrated dispensing often leads to a lot of positive things for our patients. Ultimately, we all care about our patients; we want positive outcomes. One, it typically leads to faster treatment initiation for patients and improves safety and monitoring because that safety and monitoring are all happening within the same EMR [electronic medical record]; we're not missing any information.

Especially in our complex regimens for our patients, it's a better patient experience, as well. The patients are able to work with their core team, as well as an extension of the team, all within 1 institution. So, it also helps align with value-based as well as risk-based payment models.

Then, the other line, what type of limitations? Now, there are some limitations. One, you need a robust team of advanced clinical practitioners, as well as clinical pharmacists and specialty pharmacies. There are potentials for some limitations in terms of the payer models, depending on the specific insurance. There's always the possibility of limited drug access for our new specialty medications as they come out, and there’s the need for highly trained professionals and the higher startup costs in the beginning.