Latest Conference Articles

Highlights from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 2012 Educational Conference, which took place on October 3-5, 2012, in Cincinnati, Ohio, are available in a newsletter published by The American Journal of Managed Care. Topics discussed include the ways in which heterogeneity shapes therapeutic decisions, patient outcomes, and coverage policies; assessment of the evidence for new medications; and phone-based medication therapy management services.

Check out photos from The American Journal of Managed Care's first annual live meeting, "Translating Evidence-Based Research into Value-Based Decisions in Oncology," which took place on November 16. The meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.

On Friday, November 16, The American Journal of Managed Care hosted its first annual live meeting, "Translating Evidence-Based Research into Value-Based Decisions in Oncology." The conference, which brought together stakeholders from all sides of the managed care industry, provided an arena for healthcare professionals to discuss new, innovative payment models being utilized by both payers and providers.

Bruce Feinberg, DO, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, says that there is a tremendous amount of waste in the system.

Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, Director, Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, states that any organizational change that shifts payment and risk to providers will improve quality.

Dr. Mark Fendrick, MD, Professor of Medicine and Health Management and Policy, Schools of Medicine and Public Health, University of Michigan, Co-Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Managed Care, says that there are levers organizations and stakeholders can pull to achieve the goal of improving quality and value in cancer care.

Michael Chernew, PhD, Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Vice Chairman, MEDPAC, Co-Editor-in-Chief, The American Journal of Managed Care, says that patients want access to expensive drugs that can help expand and improve their lives.

Ira Klein, MD, MBA, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, National Accounts Clinical Sales & Strategy, Aetna, addresses measurement programs used in oncology.

Dennis Scanlon, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, says it is very important to bridge the gap between providers and payers in oncology management.

Check out photos from this year's Fall Managed Care Forum which took place from November 8-9. The meeting was held at the Bellagio Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In this video, Robin Gelburd, President, FAIR Health, says that cost transparency has been well received by consumers. Consumers are being asked to take on more control of the costs with their health plans. It is important for them to understand what the out-of-pocket costs will be.

Susan Urba, MD, Medical Director, Symptom Management & Supportive Care Program, University of Michigan, says that treatment-related factors used to stratify patients to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are the actual chemotherapy drugs.

Robin Gelburd, President of FairHealth, gave the keynote presentation on Friday at the NAMCP Fall Managed Care Forum. Her presentation, Cost Transparency: How Educated Consumers Are Driving Change, covered a number of reasons that illustrate why data transparency can lead to a chain reaction involving better consumer decisions and lowered costs.

Gary Owens, MD, Gary Owens Associates, says that trends in rheumatoid arthritis management are coming from the new 2012 American College of Rheumatology guidelines that call for earlier and more aggressive treatment of new patients as well as patients who are not doing well on existing therapies.

Thomas Stinchcombe, MD, assistant professor of clinical research, UNC Lineberg Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

New revenue models in healthcare are causing innovative payer-provider partnerships. John Harris, MBA, spoke about some of these new partnerships and how all stakeholders must consider each other's mindsets when choosing a model that works for them.

Richard Stefanacci, DO, Associate Professor, Health Policy & Public Health, University of the Sciences, says there are 2 cost concerns associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

Technology continues to advance at such an incredible pace that it can be hard for many industries to keep up with the ways in which new systems and processes can help them be more effective. In this morning's session, Your Next Provider Will Be an Avatar, presenter Thomas Morrow, MD, explained why it's necessary for the healthcare industry to not only keep pace with technological innovations, but also to integrate these technologies into several aspects of care.

Dr. Jacque Sokolov, MD, Chairman & CEO, SSB Solutions, Inc, says that value-based products and the revenue flow associated with them is evolving on the commercial side as well as the Medicare and Medicaid sides.

Implementing an accountable care organization model can be a rigorous process. With so many stakeholders, it is necessary for all those involved in the process to collaborate and communicate effectively throughout the transition. For these reasons, it is essential for any organization to have the proper leadership in place to ensure a smooth implementation.

Check out photos from this year's conference in Atlanta, GA, which took place from October 20-25. The meeting was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, which sits between CNN headquarters and the Georgia Dome.

Robert De Marco, MD, FCCP, Intensivist, Orlando Health, Dr. Phillips Hospital, says that a concern for reimbursement in the ICU is that many private physicians are becoming hospital employed. He says that convincing the hospital they need full-time critical care coverage is a difficult task even though it saves cost and cuts down length of stay and mortalities.

Brian Carlin, MD, FCCP, Allegheny General Hospital, states that there are many challenges in providing pulmonary rehabilitation to patients with chronic lung diseases.

Although there has been a concentrated focus on pulmonary vascular diseases at this year's CHEST conference, there have also been a number of studies released that pertain to cardiovascular events, such as congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here are some of the highlights in these areas.

As one might expect, lung cancer is one of the major focuses at each CHEST conference. The following are highlights from this year's recently released abstracts and late-breaking studies.

Although there have been a wide variety of disease states covered at this year's CHEST conference, much of the focus has been on those under the umbrella of pulmonary vascular disease, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and deep vein thrombosis. Here are some of the new study highlights related to pulmonary vascular disease.

Jun Chiong, MD, MPH, FACC, FCCP, Associate Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center, states the US healthcare system does not utilize a team-based approach.

Robert Frantz, MD, FACC, Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, Mayo Clinic, says that the issue of cost is an important factor in treating patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The following are highlights of abstracts that focus on readmission rates, an increasingly important subject for hospitals that are subject to evolving rules and regulations as they relate to reimbursement.

Craig Lilly, MD, Professor of Medicine, Anesthesiology and Surgery, Director, UMass Memorial eICU Program, says that technologies must be integrated as well as embraced by the workforce.