Interviews

Many patients have learned about the advances in immunotherapy treatments for cancer, but the media may not be portraying all the complexities and potential harms of these agents, according to Debra L. Madden, cancer research advocate and patient representative. Madden mentioned that biomarker research could help determine which patients are most likely to benefit from immuno-oncology.

Although there are still some unknowns surrounding the new Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model, beneficiaries are likely to appreciate the reduction in copays for high-value care, said Michael E. Chernew, PhD, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Professor of Health Care Policy and director of the Healthcare Markets and Regulation Lab in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.

Oncologists must recognize the importance of the patient voice when making treatment decisions so that the treatment plan can be adapted to each patient’s goals and desires, said Carrie Stricker, PhD, RN, AOCN, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Carevive.

The TAPUR clinical trial is rapidly expanding to new sites, but the researchers have not yet collected enough data to analyze and publish the results, according to Pam Mangat, MS, associate director TAPUR study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Fitbit understands the importance of user privacy and only provides data in aggregate to program administrators, said Ben Sommers, MBA, vice president of North America Business Development at Fitbit Wellness.

Gathering patient-reported outcomes and experiences is essential to evaluating the success of bundled payment models, said Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, the K.T. Li Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Cancer care and its associated costs can combine with everyday bills to create a significant financial burden, especially for young adults with cancer, said Samantha Watson, founder and CEO of The Samfund.

The new Medicare Advantage value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration, which is supported by both the Obama administration and the Republican House of Representatives, has sparked interest from additional states that want to be involved in this access-increasing program, said A. Mark Fendrick, MD, director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan.

Precision medicine shows great potential in helping patients get personalized interventions for many conditions, said Leonard M. Fromer, MD, FAAFP, executive medical director of the Group Practice Forum.

Oncology care is often spread out across multiple facilities and providers, so health IT innovators use software to integrate data from these many locations and deliver it to the point of care, according to Jonathan Hirsch, founder and president of Syapse.

When working with a homeless population, the Camden Coalition has learned that they need to establish open lines of communication, build a sense of trust, and follow through on their promises to patients, according to Renee Murray, associate clinical director of Care Management Initiatives at Camden Coalition. Often times these patients have more urgent priorities or may not believe that the Camden Coalition team is actually dedicated to working with them.

FDA’s regulatory science activities are working to advance the field of precision oncology, in part by using predictive analyses to identify patients that may be good candidates for certain therapies, according to Sean Khozin, MD, MPH, senior medical officer at the FDA.

The kind of data oncologists need to move towards value-based care isn’t easily accessible in patient electronic health records, but new platforms like Cancer Outcomes Tracking and Analysis (COTA) are trying to make it easier, said Stuart Goldberg, MD, chief medical officer, COTA, John Theurer Cancer Center.

Until there is more data to support the outcomes of using telemedicine, payers will be more cautious about getting into reimbursing for the technology, said Anne Schmidt, MD, associate medical director at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

Patients will become more actively involved in their healthcare decision making as they become better informed, according to Eleanor Perfetto, PhD, senior vice president of strategic initiatives for the National Health Council. She also discussed the importance of providing transparency to patients so they fully understand their healthcare choices.

The new era of data informatics tools can help providers and payers understand the tiers of risk that determine the economics of care delivery, which is crucial to value-based cancer treatment, according to Joseph Alvarnas, MD, of the City of Hope and editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Oncology

CMS must learn from implementation of new quality measure sets as it refines and expands the Core Quality Measure Collaborative, Kate Goodrich, MD, director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group in CMS.

The general public and policy makers still still view obesity as a personal failing, which explains why there has been a lack of progress to develop policies for obesity treatment, said Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FTOS, of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Implementing precision medicine is a complex undertaking that cannot be accomplished without the use of health IT tools, according to Jonathan Hirsch, founder and president of Syapse. He identified the 4 key functions of healthcare IT that allow Syapse to expand access to precision medicine.

The Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization (ACO) was disappointed to learn that under CMS’ Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) final rule, the practice would not be categorized as an advanced alternative payment model (APM) and would likely have less of an upside under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), said Katherine Schneider, MD, president of the Delaware Valley ACO. However, Dr Schneider said she understands CMS’ point of view and why it needed to make changes to the final rule.

Barry Russo, CEO of The Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, said that his practice continues to collect quality and claims data from a number of sources, even though it isn’t easy. Russo also said that payers are not particularly interested in participating in a value framework, instead choosing to focus on the oncology care model (OCM).

After realizing that improving care for the sickest, most expensive patients is crucial to a high-performing healthcare system, 5 philanthropic organizations joined forces to create “The Playbook: Better Care for People With Complex Needs,” said David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, president of The Commonwealth Fund.

As Medicaid shifts toward value-based payments, it needs to transform the delivery and payment systems to reward positive outcomes, said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

Innovative funding models like value-based payments can change providers’ incentives and drive them to seek solutions like palliative care, said Allison Silvers, vice president of payment and policy at the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Relationships with accountable care organizations and provider organizations can help payers join in a value-based, holistic approach to improving health within a community, said Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Aetna.

Programs that care for complex patients lack a sustainable source of funding that provides structural flexibility, according to Jeffrey Brenner, MD, executive director of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers. He also mentioned that there had been no gatherings solely dedicated to caring for the most complex patients until The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs’ Putting Care at the Center conference.

Fitbit is more than just a fitness tracker; it’s a social experience that engages people and keeps them motivated, said Ben Sommers, MBA, vice president of North America Business Development at Fitbit Wellness.

Bundled payments are an interesting experiment, but they should have more clinically relevant time periods and include more quality measures, said Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, the K.T. Li Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Mental health treatment is a necessary prerequisite for effective treatment of the patient’s medical conditions, said Roger Kathol, MD, president of Cartesian Solutions, Inc., and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota.

Immuno-oncology will be an important part of cancer care in the future, but probably not the only part, predicted Robert W. Carlson, MD, CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. He also explained how patient advocacy and an enduring healthcare system are essential to the advancement of cancer care.