From the Editor

Where do we really stand when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI)? What is the value? Who is using it? What are the risks and drawbacks? This technology has been discussed as a solution to complicated medical management as long ago as the 1970s, in the early days of developing clinical decision support systems. Read More ›

In the December 2022 and February 2023 issues of Oncology Practice Management, I identified external vendors (called specialty drug carve-out or alternate funding programs [AFPs]) that are charging self-insured employers a fee to find “specialty funding” or other resources so that employers and employees can pay sharply reduced prices, or nothing at all, for expensive drugs. However, these specialty carve-out vendors do not disclose the sources for this alternative funding or the drugs themselves, hiding the true impact of this practice on patient care and charity. Read More ›

Big business has been investing billions of dollars per year into healthcare, and, if successful, it may make private practices and community hospitals anachronistic. Read More ›

Practices and patients are now coming forward to explain how these programs have put individuals, patient assistance programs (PAPs), foundations, and other patient support systems at risk. Read More ›

Self-insured employers, perhaps even yours, are being presented with programs called “specialty carve-outs” as an opportunity for saving significant money on the drug portion of their employee benefits. Read More ›

Decades ago, I remember when biosimilars were a light on the horizon. Visions of sharply discounted alternatives to reference brands that could swoop in and help patients receive the care they needed at prices that were at least 50% below current market rates. Read More ›

We now know what will follow the Oncology Care Model (OCM). On June 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Innovation Center announced the voluntary Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM). Read More ›

Have we lost the concept of common sense in our aggressive pursuit of “value” in healthcare? Read More ›

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Convention was first held in 1820 when 11 physicians gathered to set standards to ensure that a prescribed medicine would be the same, regardless of where it was created or where a patient lived. Read More ›

Anemia can have a significant negative impact on quality of life and overall prognosis in patients with cancer. Read More ›