Mary Caffrey is the Executive Editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®). She joined AJMC® in 2013 and is the primary staff editor for Evidence-Based Oncology, the multistakeholder publication that reaches 22,000+ oncology providers, policy makers and formulary decision makers. She is also part of the team that oversees speaker recruitment and panel preparations for AJMC®'s premier annual oncology meeting, Patient-Centered Oncology Care®. For more than a decade, Mary has covered ASCO, ASH, ACC and other leading scientific meetings for AJMC readers.
Mary has a BA in communications and philosophy from Loyola University New Orleans. You can connect with Mary on LinkedIn.
CMS' Innovation Leader Touts Value of Physician Feedback
The Oncology Care Model is a leading innovation in the move from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement in large part because CMS has made adjustments based on physician feedback, according to an agency official who addressed the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.
Providers Move Forward With 2-Sided Risk and Take on Pharma
Heading into 2019, the idea that oncology practices would fully embrace financial responsibility for clinical decisions still seemed far-fetched for many. And yet, when it was time to make the call, moving to 2-sided risk proved a “simple” decision, said Travis Brewer of Texas Oncology, who took part in a panel offering an update on the Oncology Care Model (OCM) at the start of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit, which opened Monday in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia.
Adding Empagliflozin to Insulin Cuts A1C in Type 1 Diabetes, Reduces CV Risk in Study
The advantage of empagliflozin, and the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 class generally, is that its unique mechanism expels excess glucose through the urine, thus offering the possibility of reducing glucose variability—eliminating the “roller coaster” effect that many with type 1 diabetes experience that can cause long-term microvascular damage.
Screening and Prevention: More Data Reveal Shift to Obesity-Related Cancers in Younger Patients
Although results of other recent studies have noted the rise in the rate of obesity-related cancers among younger adults, this is the first study to also find a concurrent decrease in the rate of new cancer cases among patients 65 years and older.
Abbott, Omada Health to Combine Digital Coaching With CGM for Those With Type 2 Diabetes
Omada Health, a longtime leader in digital health coaching for diabetes prevention and type 2 diabetes (T2D) care, and Abbott, maker of the FreeStyle Libre, said the partnership will “create a new paradigm” in T2D management.
Early Menopause Can Signal Cardiovascular Risk, Analysis Finds
Women who enter menopause before age 50 are substantially more likely to have a nonfatal cardiovascular event before they turn 60, and the risk grows the younger the women are when menstruation ends, according to a recent analysis.
Next Chapter of Intarcia's Mini Pump for Diabetes Begins as FDA Accepts Resubmitted NDA
More than 2 years after the FDA derailed the trajectory of its novel treatment system for type 2 diabetes (T2D), Intarcia Therapeutics today announced that regulators have accepted a resubmitted new drug application for the mini pump that delivers a continuous dose of exenatide.
FDA Approves Canagliflozin to Prevent Kidney Failure, Hospitalization for Heart Failure
The new indication is based on results of the CREDENCE trial, which found that canagliflozin reduced the risk of renal failure or death by 30% in those that had both type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease.
Gathering Evidence on Insulin Rationing: Answers and Future Questions
The results of a study published last year from authors at Yale Diabetes Center suggest that rationing is more common than the healthcare system wants to admit. Senior author Kasia Lipska, MD, MHS, says the findings raise a whole new set of questions.
Most Data Stolen From Hospitals Include Items Used in Identity Theft, Study Finds
More than 70% of hospital data breaches include the theft of sensitive items like patients’ Social Security or credit card numbers, as well as birth dates, which could lead to identity theft or fraud, according to a new report.