August 2015

A report from the Government Accountability Office has found that a program for hospitals serving poor and uninsured patients has created perverse incentives to prescribe more drugs and more expensive drugs, particularly in the area of cancer care.

Evidence provided by a study published in The Lancet Oncology affirms that oral contraceptives provide long-term protection against endometrial cancer.

The recent mergers between healthcare payers continue the trend of consolidation that has swept the healthcare industry since passage of the ACA.

An article published in JAMA Oncology underscores the need for efforts to improve quality of life for cancer patients.

Analysis of results from the CHAARTED trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that 6 cycles of chemotherapy (docetaxel) before androgen-deprivation therapy early in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer significantly improved overall survival than treatment with ADT alone.

The basis for determining Medicare payment rates for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests is changing. These changes will be important for all payers and providers to follow for future reimbursement and contract negotiations.

A panel of healthcare experts invited by The American Journal of Managed Care participated in the Oncology Stakeholders Summit, Spring 2015 Peer Exchange, to discuss 340B and other issues in oncology care.

Precision medicine will perhaps establish some of the most important biomedical innovations of our generation. However, for that future to become a reality, we have to create an access and reimbursement environment that is conducive to precision care.

Evidence-Based Oncology spoke with Mark Capone about the challenges and opportunities in molecular diagnostics, and what's ahead at Myriad Genetics.

In his editorial piece, Joseph Alvarnas, MD, narrates the importance of precision medicine in oncology care.

With unprecedented activity in the area of precision medicine, with the successful development of several targeted therapies, the FDA has been in the forefront of efforts to ensure timely access to, and the safe and effective use of, these therapies.

For many US community cancer centers, keeping the doors open has often meant making the difficult decision to consolidate with hospitals and large hospital systems. Site neutrality is a critical step in the journey toward better healthcare for all Americans and a healthy future for Medicare.

As personalized medicine rapidly becomes an effective tool for combating cancer, payers are exploring new, value-based payment paradigms. These trends will soon intersect, and depending on how they are structured, the new payment models could accelerate or stifle personalized medicine's progress.

As clinical targets in more common malignancies emerge, testing and treatment options will increase. Balancing these choices with the high costs of new technology will be the challenge to ensure value in oncology care.

While scientists agree that NGS is the way of the future, payers are as yet apprehensive on the value afforded by the tests to clinical decisions.

In oncology, the shift from a "companion diagnostic" to a "companion therapeutic" paradigm is in high gear. While the noise and confusion is leading many payers to avoid coverage, they can benefit by proactively taking steps to integrate precision oncology to better manage quality, access, and cost of cancer care.