Parity Laws and the Need for Payment Reform

During this segment, Scott Gottlieb, MD; Brian Kiss, MD; Michael Kolodziej, MD; and Ted Okon, MBA, continue the discussion regarding issues that affect new oncology care models, including drug wastage, patient compliance, and treatment costs.

As more oncology drugs are being dispensed via practice-based pharmacies, intervention is needed to reduce waste, Dr Kolodziej comments. Also, compliance remains an issue even with the advent of practice-based pharmacies.

Although some states have passed parity laws, meaning that patient out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for oral medications should not be greater than OOP costs for intravenous medications, high OOP costs remain a barrier to patient access to treatment.

Dr Kiss discusses the buy-and-bill model’s impact on oncology and suggests that payment reform is necessary. Oncologists should be compensated for providing cognitive and technical services, he believes, rather than for dispensing chemotherapy drugs.