Interviews

Judy Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, director of clinical initiatives at the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the importance of making sure oncology practices are educated about their value-based enterprise exception when mailing patients their cancer medications.

While employers fall on a spectrum when it comes to knowledge and understanding of biosimilars, there does remain a need to educate them, as well as for them to educate their employees, said Margaret Rehayem, vice president, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

For all the success the hematology/oncology space has seen over the past 20-plus years, difficult discussions now focus on paying for that care, explained David A. Eagle, MD, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists.

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president at Texas Oncology, explains the small potential risk of breast cancer associated with hormonal birth control.

Natalia Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, chief of the stroke division at Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Science Committee, previews the annual meeting and provides a glimpse into what the conference has to offer and its legacy of 75 years.

David Spencer, MD, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and professor of neurology at Oregon Health and Science University, previews the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting for 2023 and says that attendees can expect not only to learn but also to leave feeling humbled and inspired.

Lack of knowledge about how skin conditions present on lightly pigmented skin has resulted in diagnostic delays, underassessment, and an impact on quality of life for patients with skin of color.

Shiela Plasencia, director of practice support at the Community Oncology Alliance, discusses the benefits of collecting social determinants of health data for both the patient and provider.

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, reviews emerging therapeutics being investigated for the prevention and treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).

Each patient needs to weigh the benefits and risks of genetic testing for melanoma and have someone who can take the time to explain everything, including insurance risks, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.

Amy Valley, vice president for clinical strategy and technology solutions at Cardinal Health, weighs both the benefits and potential risks of physicians using artificial intelligence technology in their oncology practices.

There are various areas across different patient care and support perspectives that offer opportunities to improve value-based care in oncology, said Ryan Huey, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The Employer Playbook on Biosimilars highlights strategies employers can use to navigate challenges around ensuring employee access to biosimilars at the pharmacy, as well as how to respond to pharmacy benefit managers who aren’t making biosimilars available on the formulary, said Margaret Rehayem, vice president, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains the antibody subtypes associated with this rare neuromuscular disease.

Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, discusses the use of biosimilars and how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as well as payers have challenged the biosimilar market.

Not only are Black and Brown communities, as well as neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status, disproportionately impacted by climate change, but these communities are not as readily able to adapt to mitigate the impacts climate change has on health.

Banner|Aetna's partnership with Virta and their diabetes reversal program brings to light the possibility for expansion to other health issues.

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president at Texas Oncology, discusses her recent testimony to the US Senate on a case in which prior authorization caused a 6-week wait for a consult.

Each trial extension has added new and more data and a better understanding of how ruxolitinib cream treats vitiligo in the long term, explained John Harris, MD, PhD, FAAD, director of the Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center at UMass Chan Medical School.

Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director at Community Oncology Alliance (COA), discusses the recent Senate commerce hearing on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which brought bipartisan attention and energy towards addressing the concerns related to PBMs in Washington.

Many gene therapies promise life-changing effects, but without long-term data it remains to be seen how long the benefits last.

While there are benefits of gene therapy, some patients will continue to need anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, of Retina Consultants of Texas and the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital.

While the future is bright with potential for personalized medicine to treat atopic dermatitis, current treatment is still more like trial and error, said Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, FAAD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Sashi Naidu, MD, is director of research at Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, where the No One Left Alone (NOLA) initiative is working to break down cancer health disparities among its patients and prevent care fragmentation.

Mike Lattanzi, MD, genitourinary medical oncologist, Texas Oncology, discusses the importance of keeping pace with precision oncology options as rates for prostate cancer increase.

In a value-based cancer care model, patients can more easily access the best quality care and practices can get adequately paid for the services they offer.

Ryan Huey, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, discussed the vital roles multiple health care providers play in improving outcomes for patients with cancer.

David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA, 2022-2023 Association of Community Cancer Centers president, addresses technological advancements made during his presidency and how community oncology is working to ensure gains in health equity continue moving forward.