Kelly Filchner on Importance of PCPs in Improving Coordination of Care for Cancer Survivors
April 23rd 2020Many patients when they start their cancer therapy get so ingrained in the cancer world that their oncologist just becomes their main point of contact, but we have to do a better job at letting the patients know that the PCP still is an integral part of their care, said Kelly Filchner, MSN, director at Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners.
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Kathy Oubre on Challenges, Solutions to Addressing Clinical Trial Participation
April 21st 2020The clinicians and nurses at Pontchartrain Cancer Center address the education behind the clinical trials, which helps patients understand that they can have access to cutting edge therapy that they would not otherwise have access to, said Kathy W. Oubre, MS, chief operating officer at Pontchartrain Cancer Center. Kathy Oubre is additionally scheduled to speak at the Community Oncology Alliance Virtual Meeting, which runs from April 23-24, 2020.
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Lindsay Greenleaf Discusses the 2021 Medicare Advantage Rate and Related Effects of COVID-19
April 19th 2020The American Journal of Managed Care® spoke with Lindsay Bealor Greenleaf, JD, MBA, Vice President of Policy, ADVI Health, about CMS’ recent enactment of the 2021 Medicare Advantage rate announcement, and the effects of COVID-19 on Medicare Advantage. This transcript has been edited slightly for clarity.
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Dr Sonal Tuli on How Ophthalmologists Are Optimizing Eye Care Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 18th 2020We're sending patients eye charts via email, doing zoom visits or telehealth visits by video or audio– it's been interesting to see that ophthalmologists can adapt to to this. I think that's going to be something that will stay on in some way, shape, or form after this pandemic subsides, said Sonal Tuli, MD, Clinical Spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch: Identifying Patients With Smoldering Multiple Myeloma Remains an Unmet Need
April 16th 2020Identifying patients with smoldering multiple myeloma is difficult as they often do not have any symptoms, but we could still do a much better job than what we are currently implementing, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr Michael Diaz Outlines Important Lessons Learned From the OCM
April 15th 2020Networking with other practices, sharing ideas, and getting physicians involved in the process can aid community practices moving to alternative payment models (APMs), said Michael Diaz, MD, president of Community Oncology Alliance.
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Dr Prakash Bhuyan Discusses Progress on COVID-19 Vaccine, Treatments for HPV-Related Cancers
April 11th 2020Prakash Bhuyan, MD, PhD, vice president of clinical development at Inovio, discusses the company's vaccine trial for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as its DNA medicine platform for rare genital cancers.
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Kathy Oubre Discusses How Tailored Education Programs Assist in Optimizing Cancer Care for Patients
April 10th 2020Developing an expansive program to meet the needs of all of our patients, at all education levels, is 1 of the biggest challenges we face at Pontchartrain Cancer Center, said Kathy W. Oubre, MS, chief operating officer at Pontchartrain Cancer Center. Kathy Oubre is additionally scheduled to speak at the Community Oncology Alliance Virtual Meeting, which runs from April 23-24, 2020.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch Highlights MRD Assessment Accuracy in Predicting Treatment Progression
April 7th 2020MRD assessments are probably 1 of the most powerful predictors that we have to see how well a treatment has worked, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch Speaks on Checking for MRD After Treatment for Multiple Myeloma
April 3rd 2020Following the International Myeloma Working Group criteria, we usually check for minimal residual disease when the patient has reached a complete remission or is very close to complete remission, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr Michael Diaz Explains Challenges to Capturing Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes
March 30th 2020Part of the reason COA recommended a 'ramp up' period is we need time for the vendors to understand what they need to be incorporating in their software, said Michael Diaz, MD, president of Community Oncology Alliance.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch: As Data Build on Effectiveness of MRD Testing, Adherence Will Increase
March 24th 2020Although it is true that there are people who still don't use minimal residual disease (MRD) testing, I think that its use is going to pick up based on results of emerging clinical studies, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr Maen Hussein on How Changes in Medicare Hospice Coverage Impact Community Oncology Practices
March 21st 2020"There is this mentality that hospice means the patient is going to die very soon, and that's really not true," said Maen Hussein, MD, physician director of finance at Florida Cancer Specialists.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch Outlines Potential of MRD Testing for Treatment Decision Making
March 20th 2020Right now, it's not really used for decision treatment in most centers, but there are a lot of studies that have started this year or starting next year that have MRD as an endpoint so we will see, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr Karl Kilgore Outlines Challenges of Collecting Real-World Data on CAR T-Cell Therapy
March 18th 2020Several challenges arise when using real-world data derived from claims to study the impacts of CAR T-cell therapy on Medicare patients, said Karl Kilgore, PhD, senior research analyst at Avalere Health.
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Dr Jeremy Whalen Cites Patient Safety, Total Cost of Care as Key Policy Goals for Prime Therapeutics
March 17th 2020Patient safety is paramount when deciding how to roll out a new program or even if a program should be developed or not, said Jeremy Whalen, PharmD, BCOP, specialty clinical program director for oncology at Prime Therapeutics.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch Discusses Current Standards of Treatment for Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
March 16th 2020There are studies exhibiting progression within treatment for smoldering multiple myeloma, but nothing has been FDA approved yet, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Dr C. Patrick Carroll Discusses Treating Patients With SCD-Related Pain Who Arrive in the ED
March 12th 2020When patients present to the emergency department (ED) with sickle cell disease (SCD)–related pain, they often have been experiencing that pain for days, said C. Patrick Carroll, MD, director of psychiatric services, Sickle Cell Center for Adults, associate professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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Dr Lucio Gordan Discusses Cost Differentials, Survivorship Care in Oncology
March 10th 2020There has been significant improvement in payers' understanding of site of care issues, but steps still need to be taken to address these issues, said Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician at Florida Cancer Specialists.
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Dr Bruce Sherman: Disproportionate Effects of Co-pay Accumulator Programs Across Populations
March 10th 2020Co-pay accumulator adjustment programs can have different effects for individuals with varying health plan types or income levels, explained Bruce Sherman, MD, chief medical officer of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
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Dr Elisabet Manasanch: Flow Cytometry, Sequencing Optimal for Assessing MRD
March 5th 2020Some of the best ways to assess minimal residual disease (MRD) are using flow cytometry or using sequencing, said Elisabet Manasanch, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
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Ongoing studies are aiming to determine how co-pay accumulator adjustment programs affect individuals’ medication adherence and persistence, with the hope that the results will inform employers on more equitable benefits strategies, according to Bruce Sherman, MD, chief medical officer of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
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Dr Adam Olszewski on Research Still Needed on Palliative Care Services in Blood Cancers
March 3rd 2020More data is needed to get wider acceptance of the use of palliative care services for patients with blood cancers, said Adam Olszewski, MD, associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
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