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Dr. Kolodziej Addresses the Impact of Payer Policy on the Use of Immunotherapy

Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director for Oncology Strategies, Aetna, says that in regard to payers impacting the use of immunotherapies, most payers have decided they will respect the judgment of the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, National Medical Director for Oncology Strategies, Aetna, says that in regard to payers impacting the use of immunotherapies, most payers have decided they will respect the judgment of the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). "If NCCN says the immunotherapies are worth doing we by and large pay for them," said Dr Kolodziej. He notes that due to the high cost of the therapies, they are still regulated. Dr Kolodziej says that the future is uncertain because there will be a shift of responsibility of cost to providers and possibly patients.

This video was taken on June 1, 2013, at the ASCO Annual Meeting 2013 in Chicago, IL.

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