Laura is the vice president of content for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and all its brands, including The American Journal of Accountable Care®, Evidence-Based Oncology™, and The Center for Biosimilars®. She has been working on AJMC® since 2014 and has been with AJMC®’s parent company, MJH Life Sciences®, since 2011.
She has an MA in business and economic reporting from New York University. You can connect with Laura on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Dr Ravi Goel Previews Session on Innovations and Closing Presentation at AAO
September 26th 2022The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting will present cutting-edge topics on retinal disease, as well as feature a presentation from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, said Ravi Goel, MD, spokesperson for AAO and ophthalmologist at Regional Eye Associates in New Jersey.
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Dr Paul Forsberg: Ensuring Consistent, Clear Messaging Critical During Biosimilar Conversion
September 25th 2022When converting a patient to a biosimilar, having clear and consistent messaging will reduce confusion and prevent patients from having a lack of trust in the process, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.
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Multiple Pegfilgrastim Administration Options Allow for Patient-Centric Model of Care
September 20th 2022With 6 pegfilgrastim biosimilars approved, and multiple administration options, a patient-centric model of pegfilgrastim administration should be possible for patients with cancer who require prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia.
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Teleophthalmology Reduces Rates of Vision Loss, Improves Access to Care
September 20th 2022Teleophthalmology not only improves access to care and lowers the cost of care, but it can reduce rates of vision loss for patients with type 2 diabetes, said Parisa Emami-Naeni, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.
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Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Cost Savings and QOL Benefits of MRD-Directed Treatment Decisions
September 16th 2022Being able to use minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity to make treatment decisions, such as stopping maintenance therapy, can have savings related to cost and quality of life (QOL) for patients, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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Optimizing Emergency Care Processes Improves Outcomes for Hospitalized Patients With HE
September 16th 2022Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) often do not seek care until they are in critical condition, making an optimized emergency care process critical to reduce adverse prognosis and improve clinical symptoms.
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Real-world Lung Cancer Testing Rates Are Lower Than They Should Be, Says Dr Ticiana Leal
September 14th 2022Biomarker testing should be done on all patients with an initial diagnosis of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, but the testing rates in the real world are lower than they should be, particularly for underserved or minority populations, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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Practices Have to Grapple With the Logistics of Insurers’ Preferred Biosimilars: Dr Lalan Wilfong
September 11th 2022While commercial payers have been engaged with the shift to biosimilars, they all have their own preferred biosimilar, which makes it challenging for practices, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of payer relations & practice transformation at The US Oncology Network.
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Dr Vivienne Hau: Without Representation, Clinical Trials Cannot Adequately Judge Drug Effectiveness
September 6th 2022Different populations respond differently to drugs and treatments, but without adequate representation in clinical trials, it will be hard to judge the effectiveness of a new treatment, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
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How Should MRD Results Be Used? Experts Don’t Necessarily Agree, Dr Ajay Nooka Says
September 5th 2022Everyone agrees that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the best prognostic tool for multiple myeloma, but there is disagreement on how to use the MRD results, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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The Biosimilar Conversion Journey Went Through 2 Phases at Minnesota Oncology
September 4th 2022While initially there was a need for education around biosimilars, now there is a need to keep an eye on the evolving biosimilar marketplace and update the formulary of biosimilar medicines, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.
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Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Use of MRD Testing in Multiple Myeloma at Emory
September 2nd 2022Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is used to understand the depth of response, but currently the data at Emory are not used to make treatment decisions, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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Gap After OCM May Cause Some Practices to Switch From Biosimilars to Brand Drugs
September 1st 2022The 1-year gap after the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) means some practices have to make hard decisions regarding cost of care or the financial health of the practice, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of Payer Relations & Practice Transformation at The US Oncology Network.
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Dr Vivienne Hau on the Role of Physicians, Researchers to Address Needs of Racial/Ethnic Minorities
August 23rd 2022Adequate training will help physicians and researchers better address the needs of the communities they’re targeting, explained Vivienne Hau, MD, clinical assistant professor with the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
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Ted Okon Highlights COA Committee to Act on Humanitarian Crises
August 21st 2022While the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) was involved in humanitarian work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, the crisis in Ukraine caused COA to set up a special committee to jump into action, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, COA.
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HER2m NSCLC an “Exciting Area of Active Investigation,” Says Dr Ticiana Leal
August 17th 2022Results from DESTINY-Lung01 have shown promising progression-free survival and overall survival with ongoing research that may lead to a future FDA approval in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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Teleophthalmology Is Here Today, but Insurance Coverage, Reimbursement Will Change
August 17th 2022Insurance reimbursement for teleophthalmology services is not consistent among populations and only recently received a boost due to flexibilities allowed during the pandemic, said Parisa Emami-Naeini, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.
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Ted Okon on 340B Hospitals Reporting on Prices for Services and Drugs
August 16th 2022Despite the Hospital Transparency Rule being in effect, the majority of 340B hospitals are not reporting their prices for top services and drugs, and those that have, reported on “egregious” markups, said Ted Okon, MBA, executive director, Community Oncology Alliance.
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