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Episode 10 - Treatment Complexities
During this segment, the panelists discuss why treating multiple sclerosis (MS) is complex. Patricia K. Coyle, MD, explains that there is a lack of updated versions of clinical guidelines, and Gary M. Owens, MD, discusses the need for individualized therapy and its effect on drug cost comparisons when reviewed by managed care professionals.
Dr Coyle explains that old guidelines published by the American Academy of Neurology are reviewed by practitioners strictly to review data, and are referred to as “basic principles.”
When reviewing an agent’s effectiveness and making treatment decisions, Dr Coyle and Leslie Fish, PharmD, explain that neurologists review a drug’s safety, efficacy, tolerability, and the extent of the patient’s disease, among other patient factors. Dr Coyle further explains that there is a need for improved biomarkers.
Additionally, when managed care reviews the costs of MS agents, Dr Owens believes that because most drugs are therapeutically equivalent, the lowest priced options are the most popular. Another issue, as explained by Dr Owens, is that payers are making judgment calls about treatment based off evidence studied in populations, even though MS necessitates an individualized treatment approach.As Patricia K. Coyle, MD, Leslie Fish, PharmD, and Gary M. Owens, MD, discuss outstanding issues related to the treatment of multiple sclerosis, the panelists conclude that there is a need for improved biomarkers, and recognize that MS necessitates individualized treatment, which impacts cost comparison decisions made by managed care professionals.
What We’re Reading: ChatGPT in Health Care; Menthol Ban Meeting; Health System Cyberattack Impact
November 30th 2023ChatGPT is changing health care while also raising questions about artificial intelligence's promises and limitations; 24 Biden officials met with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives to discuss the FDA’s proposal to ban menthol cigarettes; a recent hospital cyberattack shows how the vulnerability of health care systems can put patients at risk.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
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Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
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Lawsuits target initiatives aimed at reducing racial disparities; less than 10% of trials for COVID-19 treatments included children in the first 3 years of the pandemic; the World Health Organization requests more information on increased respiratory illnesses in China.
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