Latest Conference Content

Posters presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) 40th Annual Scientific Meeting evaluated the association between long-term visual acuity outcomes and use of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, as well as patient and caregiver experience with ant-VEGF.

While anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is the first-line treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME), a majority of patients discontinue therapy after 6 months and there is no consensus on the ideal dosing paradigm.

Although technology is allowing for earlier detection of eye conditions, lack of reimbursement and insurance coverage remain major barriers to widespread use, explained speakers at the American Society of Retina Specialists 40th Annual Scientific Meeting.

At the beginning of the pandemic, remote retinal imaging declined sharply due to a recommendation to stop nonessential eye care services in the first months of 2020, said Parisa Emami-Naeni, MD, MPH, assistant professor of ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, and vitreoretinal surgeon and uveitis specialist at UC Davis Eye Center.

Every year, the American Society of Retina Specialists releases the results of its latest Preferences and Trends Survey at the annual meeting. This year, the survey highlighted some surprising differences between US and international retina specialists, including off-label medication use and what drives drug choices for patients, said Paul Hahn, MD, vitreoretinal surgeon at NJRetina.

The retina space is evolving due to new technology that is changing the way specialists deliver care, whether that means offering the ability to do new procedures in the office or providing more virtual or hybrid care.

During a session at the American Society of Retina Specialists 40th Annual Scientific Meeting, speakers highlighted research into the opportunity cost of vitreoretinal surgery and the impact the pandemic had on retinal procedures and reimbursement in early 2020.

The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) will hold its 40th Annual Scientific Meeting in New York, New York, July 13-16, 2022.

Connecting with colleagues in person allows for meaningful conversations about the future of the retina care field and patients, said Steven Yeh, MD, professor and the Stanley Truhlsen Jr. Chair in Ophthalmology at the Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center.

At AHIP 2022, Vanessa Bobb, MD, PhD, FAPA, vice president of Behavioral Health & Medical Integration at CDPHP, moderated a session on real-world study findings showcasing cost and quality benefits of value-based contracting in behavioral health. Bobb discusses findings of the study and how value-based programs can be better leveraged in mental health and substance abuse care.

Integrating primary care with behavioral health services, improving provider training on mental health, and policy changes were all noted as strategies to combat the rising mental health and substance abuse epidemic during a keynote session at AHIP 2022.

Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacy manager at the University of Kansas Health System, explains some of the strategies that payers can use to improve cost management and increase patient access related to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies.

Panelists of a keynote session at AHIP 2022 discuss how lessons learned from investment and infrastructure in public health during the COVID-19 pandemic can be leveraged to promote equitable care for all Americans and prepare for the next public health emergency.

The utility of value-based frameworks for payers, providers, and those involved in kidney care delivery was addressed during a session at AHIP 2022.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.

Two stakeholders involved in investment and development of behavioral care services discuss the potential of digital therapeutics as a cost-effective alternative to address unmet mental health needs during an AHIP 2022 session.

Panelists of an AHIP 2022 session discussed how future policy, infrastructure, and investment strategies in public health will reinforce the efforts already made during the pandemic, with partnerships and engagement key to optimize innovation.

Community engagement, investment, and quality metrics were spotlighted as potential solutions to address health inequities affecting marginalized communities nationwide.

Panelists taking part in an AHIP 2022 session discuss collaborative strategies among payers, manufacturers, and policy makers to address challenges regarding affordability and access of novel disease modifying drugs entering the marketplace.

Increased diversity in clinical trials remains an unmet need, and in the new SEQUOIA trial, the majority of patients being White males meant researchers could not do a subgroup analysis looking at outcomes for specific races, age groups or genders, said Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, is professor of medicine and the director of the Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education program at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. She discusses her experience with palbociclib and letrozole in advanced breast cancer.

Elli Papaemmanuil, PhD, assistant professor in computational oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, spoke on current methods of classification and stratification for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and the applicability of a novel scoring system, presented during her plenary session at EHA2022, that aims to improve and refine MDS risk estimation.

John Mascarenhas, MD, director of the Adult Leukemia Program at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, spoke on preliminary data findings of the phase 2 MANIFEST study investigating the efficacy and safety profile of pelabresib, ruxolitinib combination therapy in JAK inhibitor-naive patients with myelofibrosis and those with suboptimal response to ruxolitinib monotherapy.

A primary analysis of the phase 2 ROSEWOOD trial finds that a combination of zanubrutinib and obinutuzumab is superior to obinutuzumab alone in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (FL). Results were presented at the 2022 European Hematology Association Congress.

The late-breaking oral session at the 2022 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress allowed investigators to present recently emerging data from abstracts submitted after the deadline, including outcomes from trials in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and sickle cell disease.

Mandy Lauw, MD, PhD, physician scientist and chair of the YoungEHA committee, discussed the content presented at the YoungEHA Research Meeting at the 2022 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress and core themes of the session she cochaired on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) and science in hematology.

Swaminathan P. Iyer, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains the mechanism of action and efficacy/safety observed in phase 1 results of CTX130, a CD70-targeted allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, in the treatment of relapsed/refractory T-cell lymphoma.

During a session at the 2022 European Hematology Association Congress, speakers discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) can help advance the principles of ethical medicine—but also how new technologies are being used to undermine the integrity of scientific research.

Abstracts presented at the 2022 European Hematology Association Congress demonstrate superior health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL) taking zanubrutinib.

Constantine S. Tam, MBBS, MD, consulting hematologist and associate professor, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, explains findings of his abstract at EHA2022 showing the impact of Australia’s pharmaceuticals benefit scheme on the rise of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor prescriptions for the treatment of relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R/R CLL), as well as reasons behind the decrease in fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab combination therapy usage for first-line CLL.