Oncology

Before physicians will be more willing to take on 2-sided risk, there needs to be clearer metrics that the physicians know will be achievable, said Sarah Cevallos, chief revenue cycle officer at Florida Cancer Specialists.

Option value is the benefit a therapy provides patients by enabling them to survive to the next innovation.

The implementation of the Oncology Care Model has brought profound culture changes to how oncologists take care of patients and how they operate practices, explained Lucio Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists.

With the Oncology Care Model now in its second year, 3 representatives discussed learnings and how the program can change, as well as incentivizing physicians to accept 2-sided risk, the ability to engage additional payers, and the future of oncology bundle payments.

Participants from 2 oncology community practices—an oncologist–administrator combination—shared their experience with implementing the Oncology Care Model (OCM) with attendees at the Community Oncology Alliance’s Payer Exchange Summit on Oncology Payment Reform, held October 23-24, in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

The study found that prophylactic locoregional surgery (LRS) for asymptomatic patients with small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (SI-NETs) provided no survival advantage compared with delayed LRS.

A new study has found that uninsurance rates declined the most in patients with distant disease and with lung and bronchial cancer. Hispanic patients also saw a large decrease in uninsurance rates.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

This week, the top managed care news included the bipartisan deal to stabilize the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets; coverage from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus; and a plan to reduce clinician burnout at the computer.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) has been approved to treat adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who have not responded to or who have relapsed after at least 2 other kinds of treatment.

The 2-year follow up results from the Keynote-024 trial were presented at the 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer in Yokohama, Japan.

There is a relationship between CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) survival, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology.

An in-depth look into a nationwide collaborative initiative to standardize and improve oncology dispensing practices for the benefit of patient/provider education, adherence, and overall care.

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, of Express Scripts kicked off the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2017 Nexus, held October 16-19 in Dallas, Texas, with a presentation on the pipeline of specialty pharmaceuticals in development.

The immunotherapy drug, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is recommended for use within the Cancer Drug Fund.

The authors used Medicare claims data to examine trends in hospital–physician integration in high-volume specialties, including medical oncology.

The study found that young patients with leukemia who have been vaccinated against the influenza virus are as susceptible to develop flu as their unvaccinated peers.

With the clinical and financial implications of high-cost medications, and their impact on health system revenue, it is of utmost importance for all key stakeholders to be engaged in the complex revenue cycle.

The study showed that using tumor mutation burden (TMB) can be beneficial for predicting patient response to the combination of 2 immuno-oncology therapies.

Before treating certain patients, Daniel J. DeAngelo, MD, JD, of Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will council them on the risk of developing neutropenia, which can result in hospitalization or even an intensive care stay.

AJMC®TV interviews let you catch up on what’s new and important about changes in healthcare, with insights from key decision makers-from the clinician, to the health plan leader, to the regulator. When every minute in your day matters, AJMC®TV interviews keep you informed. Access the video clips at ajmc.com/interviews.

An update on the latest developments in the world of oncology care: product approvals, clinical developments, health policy changes, and more.

While many lung and bladder cancer patients respond well to immunotherapy, they eventually succumb to the disease because the immune system can not detect the cancer cells. Two clinical trials will combine immunotherapy with epigenetic agents in order to allow the immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer cells.

The advent of oral oncolytics has changed the pharmacy's role in patient care beyond compounding infusions. Pharmacy staff now routinely engage patients, assessing adherence and tolerance to therapy as well as helping them navigate prescription benefits.

Patients with stage III colon cancer with deficient DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes who are treated with FOLFOX have a more favorable prognosis than those with proficient MMRs.

The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke with Jane L. Frederick, MD, FACOG, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist, about the changing landscape of cancer treatment, partnering with oncologists, and helping patients gain financial assistance for their fertility preservation and treatment.

Study focused on liver cancer cases, over time, in different locations and the main causes.

A new study highlights how the beliefs of surgeons and radiation oncologists influences radiotherapy use in early-stage breast cancer among older women.

Technological advances will lead to improvements in clinical trials and greater participation in trials by patients, explained Michael Kolodziej, MD, national medical director of managed care strategy at Flatiron Health.