Jennifer Malin, MD, Discusses Challenges Facing Payers in Medical Oncology

Jennifer Malin, MD, medical director for oncology at Anthem, believes that both physicians and payers struggle with the high cost of some cancer treatment drugs, which is a large part of what medical oncology focuses on.

She says it’s hard to weigh the high cost of the therapy in a manner that doesn’t put the risk on the physician.

“I think that’s the challenge, trying to figure out how to support the care of these complex patients, not incentivizing use of expensive therapies that aren’t going to improve outcomes but also not putting physicians at risk for a $10,000 a month therapy,” Dr Malin says.