Health Care Cost

Updates to Medicare Advantage and the Part D Prescription Drug program will improve programs for health plans that provide care for vulnerable enrollees.

There are a number of models that look at innovating payments and focus on care delivery changes in oncology that are a positive step forward for patients, Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA, director of public policy at Texas Oncology, said at the Community Oncology Alliance's 2016 Community Oncology Conference.

Members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have articulated concerns regarding the current proliferation of clinical pathways in oncology that could affect patient access and care quality. In response, ASCO established an ad hoc Task Force, which issued a policy statement to guide the future development and implementation of these treatment management tools.

The move to value-based payment is going well, but the real work has to be done on the care transformation side, Farzad Mostashari, MD, co-founder and chief executive of Aledade.

What we're reading, April 1, 2016: Federal Trade Commission files lawsuit to stop pay-to-delay deals; CMS' bundled payment initiative for joint replacement takes effect; and scientists confirm link between Zika virus and microcephaly.

It looks like 2016 is shaping up to be the most pivotal year in healthcare policy in a long time.

There is a need for a new stop loss formula that ensures a level playing field and motivates accountable care organizations.

This week, the top managed care stories include Humana announcing executive bonuses are now partially tied to value, Veterans Affairs has expanded access of hepatitis C drugs to all veterans in the system, and CDC releases guidelines on prescribing opioids.

As the industry continues its move to value-based care, health plans need to build trusted relationship for the move to be successful, according to Charles Fazio, MD, MS, medical director of HealthPartners, Inc.

The 42nd annual meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers ensured that none of the oncology care providers in the audience left without realizing that healthcare has slowly been migrating to include value in care delivery and reimbursement decisions.

At the end of February, Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), answered questions on Twitter about the latest trends in cancer care and discussed COA’s concerns with the president’s moonshot initiative and the 340B drug pricing program.

A new report published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology has drawn a mixed picture of oncology care in the United States-reduced mortality, increased survivors, and progress in treatment coupled with unsustainable costs and an unstable clinical setting.