Interviews

Each patient needs to weigh the benefits and risks of genetic testing for melanoma and have someone who can take the time to explain everything, including insurance risks, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.

Amy Valley, vice president for clinical strategy and technology solutions at Cardinal Health, weighs both the benefits and potential risks of physicians using artificial intelligence technology in their oncology practices.

There are various areas across different patient care and support perspectives that offer opportunities to improve value-based care in oncology, said Ryan Huey, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The Employer Playbook on Biosimilars highlights strategies employers can use to navigate challenges around ensuring employee access to biosimilars at the pharmacy, as well as how to respond to pharmacy benefit managers who aren’t making biosimilars available on the formulary, said Margaret Rehayem, vice president, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

James F. Howard, Jr, MD, professor of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explains the antibody subtypes associated with this rare neuromuscular disease.

Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, discusses the use of biosimilars and how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as well as payers have challenged the biosimilar market.

Not only are Black and Brown communities, as well as neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status, disproportionately impacted by climate change, but these communities are not as readily able to adapt to mitigate the impacts climate change has on health.

Banner|Aetna's partnership with Virta and their diabetes reversal program brings to light the possibility for expansion to other health issues.

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president at Texas Oncology, discusses her recent testimony to the US Senate on a case in which prior authorization caused a 6-week wait for a consult.

Each trial extension has added new and more data and a better understanding of how ruxolitinib cream treats vitiligo in the long term, explained John Harris, MD, PhD, FAAD, director of the Vitiligo Clinic and Research Center at UMass Chan Medical School.

Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director at Community Oncology Alliance (COA), discusses the recent Senate commerce hearing on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which brought bipartisan attention and energy towards addressing the concerns related to PBMs in Washington.

Many gene therapies promise life-changing effects, but without long-term data it remains to be seen how long the benefits last.

While there are benefits of gene therapy, some patients will continue to need anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD, of Retina Consultants of Texas and the Blanton Eye Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital.

While the future is bright with potential for personalized medicine to treat atopic dermatitis, current treatment is still more like trial and error, said Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, FAAD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Sashi Naidu, MD, is director of research at Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, where the No One Left Alone (NOLA) initiative is working to break down cancer health disparities among its patients and prevent care fragmentation.

Mike Lattanzi, MD, genitourinary medical oncologist, Texas Oncology, discusses the importance of keeping pace with precision oncology options as rates for prostate cancer increase.

In a value-based cancer care model, patients can more easily access the best quality care and practices can get adequately paid for the services they offer.

Ryan Huey, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, discussed the vital roles multiple health care providers play in improving outcomes for patients with cancer.

David R. Penberthy, MD, MBA, 2022-2023 Association of Community Cancer Centers president, addresses technological advancements made during his presidency and how community oncology is working to ensure gains in health equity continue moving forward.

In part 2 of this 2-part series on health equity in the treatment of psoriasis, Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, and Bryan Buckley, DrPH, discuss how providers can address disparities in psoriasis care, specifically with race, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds in mind.

Banner|Aetna has partnered with Virta and their diabetes reversal program, which now has data on outcomes and patient populations served so far.

Biomarker testing is a key tool in lung cancer treatment, and Kentucky recently passed a law requiring payers to cover biomarker tests with the intention to address high rates of lung cancer in the state.

Mike Lattanzi, MD, genitourinary medical oncologist, Texas Oncology, discusses recent findings from studies he participated in on targeted therapies for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

The Protocol AC study analyzed visual acuity gains and cost if patients with diabetic macular edema started on bevacizumab, which costs less, and switched to aflibercept later, explained Jennifer K. Sun, MD, MPH, associate professor of ophthalmology and chief of the Center for Clinical Eye Research and Trials, Harvard Medical School; and chair, DRCR Retina Network.

Jessica Allegretti, MD, MPH, medical director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, speaks on current indications for Rebyota (fecal microbiota, live-jslm) in the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), as well as coverage and access-related implications for the drug.

Close to 80% of what influences how long someone is going to live is where and how they live, and we need to pay more attention to that or we’re not paying attention to everything that affects their lives, explained David A. Eagle, MD, of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists.

Differentiating type 1 and type 2 diabetes care is a major issue that needs better understanding, said Kevan Herold, MD, professor of immunobiology and medicine at Yale School of Medicine

Samyukta Mullangi, MD, MBA, oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and incoming medical director at Thyme Care, spoke on how her organization’s tech platform incorporates social determinants of health (SDOH) in care navigation to ensure high quality care and treatment.

In part 1 of this 2-part series on health equity in the treatment of psoriasis, Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, and Bryan Buckley, DrPH, discuss how providers can address disparities in care, specifically with race, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds in mind.

There is a “spectrum” of problems and obstacles in a patient’s way once melanoma has been detected before that patient sees the right physician and receives treatment, said Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Dermatology and director of the Melanoma Research Program at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.