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One of the reasons Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, 2015-2016 president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, became involved with medicine in the first place was the ability to help patients. However, she said that the administrative burden physicians take on in today’s health system can often take away from that experience.

Population health is a method that looks at the total costs of care, focuses on the prevalent chronic diseases, and, additionally, examines the various social determinants of health of an entire community. However, Burton F. VanderLaan, MD, FACP, medical director of Priority Health, explained that precision medicine, specifically in precision oncology, seeks to do just the opposite by employing variation and individualizing treatment rather than standardizing it.

Stacey W. McCullough, DO, senior vice president of Pharmacy at Tennessee Oncology, PLLC; Bruce W. Sherman, MD, FCCP, FACOEM, medical director for Population Health Management for the RightOpt private exchange offering for Buck Consultants, A Xerox Company; and Glen D. Stettin, MD, senior vice president of clinical research and new solutions at Express Scripts, came together to discuss the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as a means of helping to manage high-cost treatment options. The discussion, moderated by Bruce A. Feinberg, DO, vice president and chief medical officer of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, was held during The American Journal of Managed Care’s 4th Annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care Meeting.

Julian Malinak, MPH, finance lead for the pioneer accountable care organization (ACO) and next generation ACO models and technical advisor for financial policy at CMS Innovation Center, explained that CMS, as well as other organizations, are pushing away from the traditional fee-for-service methods by creating delivery models like ACOs and employing various tools and services, such as bundled payments, and are beginning to examine these methods in the oncology setting.

What we're reading, September 27, 2016: a panel of experts recommends expanding preventive services for women with no cost sharing; BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is exiting 3 Obamacare exchanges; and Pfizer will not split into 2 companies.

In the past 5 years, the FDA has approved 52 new agents for oncology use, and 24 of those agents have novel mechanisms, explained Stacey W. McCullough, PharmD, senior vice president of Pharmacy at Tennessee Oncology, PLLC, during her presentation at The American Journal of Managed Care’s 4th Annual Patient-Centered Oncology Care Meeting. With these emerging options in oncology care, there are 3 things to consider when choosing the appropriate option for the patient, she said.

The new guideline comes as FDA weighs an advisory panel recommendation for CGM dosing, which many see as a first step toward Medicare coverage.

Analysis of prescription transaction data provided insight into reduced out-of-pocket spending and increased medical fill rates for people who gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act and had at least 1 chronic condition.

A new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine has identified a predictive biomarker in stage IV patients with melanoma being treated with the pembrolizumab.

A series of papers in The Lancet highlights how city planning and urban design can prevent chronic diseases and create healthier and more sustainable cities.

Access to, and levels of spending on, prescription drugs has become an important public policy issue. The development and implementation of patient-centered solutions that allow access to medications at an affordable cost are of critical importance.

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases/Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidance Panel is recommending that before patients begin antiviral therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C, that they be screened for hepatitis B, as well.

What we're reading, September 26, 2016: the obesity rate in America has been rising steadily, but the health system is ill equipped to treat these patients; the pros and cons of mail-order medications; and barring recipients of federal funding from preventing money from going to Planned Parenthood.

AbbVie’s blockbuster arthritis medication, adalimumab (Humira), now has an FDA-approved competitor: Amgen’s adalimumab-atto, also called Amjevita.

Older fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who have lower levels of continuity of care have higher rates of hospitalization, emergency department visits, testing, and healthcare spending.

Under the Affordable Care Act, health centers received federal funding to provide comprehensive primary care to patients in underserved communities. An analysis of Medicaid claims data in 13 states has found that these health centers reduced spending by 24% per Medicaid patient.

This week, the top managed care stories included another boost to the Cancer Moonshot initiative, results from an accountable care organization in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, and coverage of new and emerging therapies in Evidence-Based Diabetes Management.

An ongoing clinical trial has shown that the use of a recently approved hepatitis C virus (HCV) medication could make it possible to transplant HCV-infected kidneys into non-infected patients.

Readmission rates for both safety net hospitals and other hospitals have decreased since Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program went into effect in 2013. However, disparate rates of improvement could show that these hospitals in low-income areas are still at a disadvantage.

Reports from the RAND Corporation, paid for by The Commonwealth Fund, portray starkly different results from the healthcare plans offered by the candidates for president.

Fitbits and other trackers are everywhere, but the study by JAMA finds that they may not help users with sustained weight loss, which has long eluded researchers.

UnitedHealth has posted a presentation on its website that provides an update to its pharmacy benefits and prescription drug lists for 2017.

About half of people involved with the justice system are newly eligible for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. While coverage is rising, one-third still lack insurance.

Our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare and mainstream press.

The FDA has announced a public competition to develop a mobile application that allows users to find the nearest location of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Here are 5 things to know about the 2016 Naloxone App Competition.

What we're reading, September 23, 2016: California's insurance commissioner wants to try a public option; Valeant avoids double-digit price hikes with 9.9% increases; maker of Suboxone being sued by 35 states and the District of Columbia for keeping generics off the market.

A report finds that access to buprenorphine in Medicaid varies widely depending on where patients live. It's the latest example of the lack of mental health parity that former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy confronts in his long quest for equity in care.

Research published in the journal JAMA Oncology argues that major lifestyle changes can significantly delay the onset of cancer.

Compared with a decade ago, the vast majority of long-term care claimants are satisfied with their coverage and interactions with the insurance company, according to a survey sponsored by America's Health Insurance Plans.

Research conducted at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that white women performed better than black women on physical and functional health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) scores, but not spiritual HRQOL.