Meir Rinde

Articles

Keeping the Pathway Focus on Treatment Instead of Cost Will Ensure the Best Care

June 11th 2017

A divide has developed between pathways that primarily serve physicians and those that cater to payers that are trying to rein in costs.

Pharmacies Are Wary of Risking Revenues to Promote Value-Based Care

June 8th 2017

Major pharmacy companies are paying attention to the movement toward value-based care in oncology, but recent comments from representatives of 2 top firms suggest this sector is wary of risking capital to lower costs and improve patient outcomes.

ACOs Rapidly Expand, But Cost and Quality Improvements Lag Behind

June 8th 2017

The number of accountable care organizations across the country has grown rapidly in the last 5 years, creating opportunities and challenges for oncology practices as they seek to benefit from the organizations’ referral networks, shared-savings programs, and care-improvement efforts.

Independents No Longer Dominate the Chemotherapy Infusion Market

May 5th 2017

As recently as the late 1990s, a practice could charge enough for chemotherapy drugs that it could easily afford to treat patients who had Medicare coverage and no additional insurance. Today, that is often no longer the case.

New Agents Make Inventory Management More Difficult and Precarious

April 11th 2017

Oral oncolytics can bring increased revenue to a practice but are inherently difficult to manage because of their high cost.

Novel Approaches in Male Breast Cancer

March 24th 2017

Male breast cancer is a rare and poorly understood disease, but recent molecular studies have revealed fundamental differences from female breast cancer that could help guide treatment strategies toward a more tailored approach.

ACA May Be a Tough Act to Follow

February 10th 2017

The Republican push to repeal the Affordable Care Act has sent anxiety levels soaring among oncologists and their patients, due largely to the great uncertainty about how exactly Congress will proceed.

CMS Keeps Innovation Under Lock and Key

January 27th 2017

Several organizations are developing alternative payment models they hope CMS will adopt as ways to encourage oncologists to deliver care at a lower cost while improving its quality. If approved, these proposals could become customized alternatives to the agency’s Oncology Care Model.

Consolidation Ripples Out From Florida

December 29th 2016

Florida is a leader in the consolidation trend, topping the nation in the number of practices that have closed, merged, or been acquired in recent years.

Battle Over Oral Drugs Causes Disruption

December 14th 2016

When a leading pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark, announced in August that it would stop covering prescriptions at physician dispensaries for patients with Medicare Part D drug coverage, it fell to practice staffers like Tommy Harwood to deal with the resulting consternation.

Southeast to Take Brunt of ACA Pullouts

October 5th 2016

One by one, major payers have announced they will withdraw from many Affordable Care Act marketplaces at the end of this year, leaving residents of hundreds of counties with just one or two payers selling policies on the government-run exchanges.

Staffing Costs for Oncology Practices Soar Amid Deluge of Paperwork

August 24th 2016

Preauthorizations for chemotherapy drugs and payers’ differing administrative requirements are two of the main contributors to greater hiring needs. Oncologists and practice managers also cite frequent coverage denials, lengthy appeal processes, payerspecific clinical pathways, financial counseling for underinsured patients, data-tracking initiatives, and night and weekend nurse triage services.

Rural Oncology Practices Struggle to Recruit and Retain Employees

July 13th 2016

Pressures on independent oncology practices have been mounting for years, as payer data-reporting requirements become more onerous and revenue from drug reimbursements decline.

Direct Contracting Is the Key to Bypassing the Payer

June 1st 2016

Under direct contracting, a provider signs an agreement with a business or membership organization outlining the care to be provided and the payment scheme, cutting out the insurer completely.

Twitter Becomes Forum for Opdivo Coverage Dispute

April 20th 2016

Social media has become an outlet for expressing frustration with the struggle to get insurance approvals for oncology tests and treatments.

Caution Advised in Leaping on the Liquid Biopsy Bandwagon

April 12th 2016

A profusion of so-called â€œliquid biopsyâ€ tests that extract circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, or exosomes from blood and urine are under investigation at research institutions and startup firms, and in some cases are already being used to supplement or replace traditional biopsies.

Preserving Flexibility in Chemo Decisions in Breast Cancer

March 18th 2016

The accumulation of evidence supporting a regimen of anthracycline and taxanes for breast cancer has led some oncologists to argue for the establishment of a standard treatment plan that deemphasizes or eliminates alternative options.

Oncologist-Reformer Pursues Value After Group Rebuff

October 2nd 2015

The medical home model created by John Sprandio, MD, which typically offers wraparound care to improve patient outcomes, is also slowly expanding into oncology practices nationally.

Oncologists Say Clinical Pathways Are Too Confining

September 10th 2015

Some oncologists say they are overwhelmed by the diversity of pathways and payers are too often using them to micromanage decision making.

Patient Support Not Just a Buzzword for New England Doc

July 25th 2015

As medical director of radiation oncology at Lowell General Hospital in Massachusetts, Matthew Katz, MD, is well attuned to trends in breast cancer treatment.