Mary Caffrey

Stephen M. Schleicher, MD, MBA, chief medical officer at Tennessee Oncology, addresses the “huge problem” of financial toxicity among patients with cancer, which can be attributed in part to both the high price of targeted treatments and even from ordering only necessary testing.

Former Obama administration official Kavita Patel, MD, MS, told a gathering of the OneOncology Physician Leadership Conference that policy leaders and members of Congress need input on the realities of oncology practice finances.

Edward Licitra, MD, PhD, who is CEO of Astera Cancer Care, based in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and Edward “Ted” Arrowsmith, MD, of the Chattanooga office, Tennessee Oncology, shared ideas during a panel discussion at the OneOncology Physician Leadership Conference, held Friday through Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. Sheri Chatterson, MSM, MBA, CFHP, vice president of payer relations at OneOncology, led the discussion.

Jeff Patton, MD, CEO of OneOncology, kicks off the first annual Physician Leadership Conference by outlining the competitive challenges for community practices and leads a discussion with Adam Boehler, former head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

Patient-Centered Oncology Care® (PCOC) begins Wednesday in Tennessee with 2 days of discussions on how to achieve the related goals of closing health care disparities and eliminating barriers for patients.

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASPC, FNLA, professor of medicine and the Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventative Cardiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, discusses the results of the recently halted FRESH trial, why there is such a great need for new antihypertensive agents, and possible contributory factors to outcome disparities between Black and White patients.

The DELIVER trial is the largest trial to date of SGLT2 inhibitor use in heart failure, and these latest data on dapagliflozin in heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction show an extensive benefit on health status, noted Mikhail Kosiborod, MD, cardiologist at St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri.

The latest real-world clinical practice data from the VICTORIA trial of vericiguat bolster previous data on the medication’s benefit by showing that 92% of patients hospitalized for a worsening heart failure event would be eligible to start the therapy and that doing so would reduce their risk of heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular death, noted Stephen J. Greene, MD, Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Douglas L. Mann, MD, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and editor-in-chief of JACC: Basic to Translational Science discussed the first set of data reported on NTLA-2001, a novel investigative intravenous agent that targets the TTR gene and TTR protein levels, which have been shown to play a role in development of cardiac transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis.

Posters presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Illinois, found that the neighborhood income and socioeconomic status had an effect on heart failure and all-cause readmission rates.

340B was developed with positive intentions, but has resulted in unintended consequences, said Edward J. Licitra, MD, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer, Astera Cancer Care.

"We need to get rid of all obstacles that are getting in the way of the patient getting their care," said Bo Gamble, director of strategic practice initiatives at Community Oncology Alliance (COA).

Brian Corvino, MBA, managing director, Life Sciences and Health Care Practice, Deloitte Consulting, LLP, offered an overview of how the surge of innovation in oncology—and resulting drug approvals—dominate the biopharmaceutical sector. He spoke at the Community Oncology Alliance's Payer Exchange Summit.

The quest to deliver better cancer care—with better outcomes and patient experience—is not a one-size-fits-all journey, as seen in panels during the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, held in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.

Making value-based payment models work in cancer care requires close attention to the financial and quality measures and a commitment to culture change, said experts gathered October 25 at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

Panelists who have reviewed the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) say it puts additional requirements on practices with reduced monthly payments, and its risk modeling could put a small practice out of business.

Selected coverage from the Quality Cancer Care Alliance (QCCA) Summer 2022 National Leadership Summit, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Fall Policy Summit, and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.

A featured presentation at the Irvine, California, meeting of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine discussed how a patient with long-term HIV was cured through a transplant.

Coverage from the Irvine, California, meeting of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine, chaired by Joseph Alvarnas, MD, vice president for government affairs at City of Hope and chief clinical advisor, AccessHope.

Coverage from the Minnesota meeting of the Institute for Value-Based Medicine, chaired by Rajini Katipamula-Malisetti, MD, vice president of medical oncology at Minnesota Oncology.

Although exercise during cancer treatment is encouraged, multiple myeloma can present special challenges, since there is an increased risk of bone fractures, pain, and other deformities.

Leaders from City of Hope National Medical Center discussed how the cancer research and treatment center addressed challenges with attracting and retaining oncology pharmacists through a restructuring during the ACCC 39th National Oncology Conference.

Mike Koroscik, vice president, Oncology, Allina Health Cancer Institute, presented “Preparing for Population Health in Oncology,” during the Association of Community Cancer Centers 39th National Oncology Conference, which concluded Friday.

Winners of the Association of Community Cancer Centers 2022 Innovator Awards, presented at the National Oncology Conference, include a program to embed primary care in a cancer center and an effort to increase compliance with giving patients same-day medication education.

Ochsner Health's program was among the recipients of the 2022 ACCC Innovator Awards, given to projects that improve patient care, are cost-effective, and are replicable.

The sessions align with the yearlong theme selected by this year’s ACCC president, David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA, when he took the helm in March: “Leveraging Technology to Transform Cancer Care Delivery and the Patient Experience.”

Dermoscopy is a relatively inexpensive and readily available tool that can improve outcomes and quality of life for patients who need surgical excision of nonmelanoma skin cancers, the authors found.

Along with its position statement in Diabetologia, the group outlined recommendations that seek greater structure and consistency for automated insulin delivery (AID) manufacturers as they develop products for use by persons with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Regular assessments of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are important to deliver the best clinical care, including the monitoring health-related quality of life (HRQOL), researchers reported.