US Oncology Network | Strategic Alliance Partnership

New data from the POLARIX STUDY show that substituting polatuzumab vedotin for 1 part of a classic first-line chemotherapy combination to manage diffuse large B-cell lymphoma improved progression-free survival without compromising health-related quality-of-life.

Evidence-Based Oncology™️ spoke with Lyons about the creation of this real-world data set and the pros and cons of different treatments for MDS.

An analysis presented during the 64th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition showed that patients with multiple myeloma were able to experience improved responses to the proteasome inhibitor ixazomib after switching from bortezomib.

Patient quality of life can be improved through shared knowledge between doctors and patients in cancer care using the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG) Chemotherapy Toxicity Tool calculator, which Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers piloted, explained Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

New immunotherapies are changing the shape of oncology care, but there is also a need for a system that provides these high-quality therapies to the patients most likely to benefit from them. This might mean doing an assessment and a deeper dive into patient functional status, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

A tool to measure chemotherapy toxicity from the Cancer and Aging Research Group can help determine emergency department visits or hospitalization risk, especially for elderly patients, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Constructive advice on improving the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) from our expert panel.

The Enhancing Oncology Model allows pooling of groups of practices for quality measurement, which was not permitted under the OCM.

Asking for help to prepare for the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) and 2-sided risk is advised, say panelists experienced with the Oncology Care Model (OCM).

As terms for Monthly Enhanced Oncology Services (MEOS) payments are set to change under the EOM, panelists worry that the barriers to entry to value-based care will be too high for practices that did not participate in the OCM.

Panelists see the 5-year period of the Enhancing Oncology Model as reasonable; they would like see some progress toward permanent value-based payment structures.

Addressing cancer patients' lack of housing or food insecurity affects care outcomes, but how can the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation build this into a reward structure?

Cutting the amount of Monthly Enhanced Oncology Services payments and limiting qualifying tumor types will curtail revenue to practices. But after the financial results in the Oncology Care Model, that's by design.

Unlike the Oncology Care Model, the Enhancing Oncology Model will focus on 7 common cancer types, which experts say offers advantages and disadvantages for practices.

Coverage from the Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Denver, Colorado, held October 5, 2022. The event was held in partnership with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

In a sign that value-based care is here to stay, some practices that did not participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) have applied for the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM).

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was a strong collaborator during the Oncology Care Mode (OCM), but the timing of the Enhancing Oncology Model came as a surprise.

Experts from US Oncology, Tennessee Oncology, AON, and COA dig into the details of implementing the Enhancing Oncology Model, set to take effect July 1, 2023.

With multiple biosimilars approved for a reference product and different payers preferring particular products, communication between the clinical pharmacy team and the managed care team is crucial, said Timothy Murphy, MD, FACP, medical oncologist/hematologist with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Having a plan in place to educate providers and the pharmacy team has contributed to the success that Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC) has had with rapidly implementing biosimilars, said Timothy Murphy, MD, medical oncologist/hematologist with RMCC.

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.

Even though there is a 1-year gap between the Oncology Care Model and the Enhancing Oncology Model, there remain value-based oncology payment programs with private payers, said Glenn Balasky, executive director of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Co-hosted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the most recent Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event took place on September 22, with a focus on improving cancer care delivery through innovation.

While commercial payers have been engaged with the shift to biosimilars, they all have their own preferred biosimilar, which makes it challenging for practices, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of payer relations & practice transformation at The US Oncology Network.

The 1-year gap after the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) means some practices have to make hard decisions regarding cost of care or the financial health of the practice, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of Payer Relations & Practice Transformation at The US Oncology Network.

The Institute for Value-Based Medicine series visits Texas Oncology in Austin.