Oncology Business Management | Specialty

The OncLive Oncology Business Management condition center page is a comprehensive resource for news and expert insights on business-focused updates and topics in oncology practices, including diversity efforts, telehealth, gaps in care, payment models, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates and best practices with oncology business management.

Dr. Rubin on Advantages With Whole-Exome Sequencing

April 28th 2016

Mark A. Rubin, MD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, vice chairman for Experimental Pathology, director, Translational Research Laboratory Services, Weill Cornell Medicine and New-York Presbyterian, discusses the advantages of whole-exome sequencing and how it compares with targeted sequencing.

FDA Grants Nivolumab Breakthrough Designation for Head and Neck Cancer

April 25th 2016

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to nivolumab as a single-agent treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck following a platinum-based therapy.

Let's Not Compromise on the Need to Strengthen Preclinical Research

April 21st 2016

Clinical oncologists may not be fully aware of shortcomings in the laboratory research paradigm that have the potential to distort the scientific underpinnings of vital cancer studies.

Waste and Abuse Hidden Behind Unnecessarily Large Packaging

April 21st 2016

Peter Bach, MD, is heading the Evidence Driven Drug Pricing Project, a 3-year initiative that will pilot value- and indication-based payment structures for drugs, funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

Using Multiple Biomarkers Improves Risk Prediction for Breast Cancer

April 19th 2016

The addition of three biological markers to conventional breast cancer risk models significantly improved the ability to distinguish women at high and low risk.

Pembrolizumab Granted Breakthrough Designation for Hodgkin Lymphoma

April 18th 2016

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to pembrolizumab as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

It's Time to Prove Value and Move the Needle on Quality

April 15th 2016

Jennie R. Crews, MD, FACP, discusses how her 18 years of diverse activity in the oncology sector would translate into strong leadership for the Association of Community Cancer Centers and its membership of 20,000.

Aligning Physician Compensation to Value Is No Easy Task

April 14th 2016

Aligning physician compensation to performance can be a dicey matter, as it is difficult to reach a consensus on how to measure physician success. However, a number of oncology practices have been developing systems for doing this and achieving success.

FDA Grants Nivolumab Priority Review in Hodgkin Lymphoma

April 14th 2016

The FDA has granted nivolumab (Opdivo) a priority review for use in previously treated patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

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.

FDA Approves Venetoclax for CLL

April 11th 2016

The FDA approved the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have a 17p deletion (del[17p]), following at least 1 prior therapy.

FDA Grants Atezolizumab Priority Review in Lung Cancer

April 11th 2016

The FDA has granted a priority review to atezolizumab for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic nonâ€“small cell lung cancer who express PD-L1 and have progressed after a platinum-containing regimen.

Cost of Biologics Therapy Soars Above Other Cancer Expenses

April 6th 2016

Biologic chemotherapy spending soared several hundred percent from 2004 to 2014; but despite rising treatment costs in general, oncology spending kept pace with spending for all categories of medical care.

NCCN Readies Practitioners for Tapping the Potential of Biosimilars

April 1st 2016

While biosimilars have the potential to create competition and result in healthcare savings, the path to the marketplace has proven complex.

Dr. Zelenetz on the Role of Biosimilars in Cancer Care

March 31st 2016

Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, medical director, Quality Informatics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the role of biosimilars in cancer care. Zelenetz spoke about this topic at the 2016 NCCN Annual Conference.

Neratinib Application Delayed for HER2+ Breast Cancer

March 30th 2016

Puma Biotechnology announced that it plans to delay the submission of a new drug application until mid-2016 for neratinib as an extended adjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer following a trastuzumab-based regimen.

FDA Approves Defibrotide for Hepatic VOD Following Stem Cell Transplantation

March 30th 2016

The FDA has approved defibrotide sodium as a treatment for severe hepatic veno-occlusive disease with associated kidney or lung abnormalities following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Payers Still Denying Coverage Despite Clinical Trial Mandate

March 29th 2016

A mandate enacted after the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was supposed to improve health coverage for patients enrolled in clinical trials; however, nearly 63% of cancer centers and organizations that responded to a recent survey reported insurance denials of routine care costs associated with patient involvement in clinical trials during 2014.

The C Letter Word

March 28th 2016

Hematology/oncology fellowship coordinator, Theresa Marcus, reflects on what it was like to receive a diagnosis of cancer, experience recurrence, and later learn that she had finally become cancer-free with the help of her colleagues.

Does Physician-Physician Communication Matter?

March 28th 2016

Faisal Musa, MD, reviews the case of a patient with large granulocytic leukemia and discusses why collaborating with the patientâ€™s pathologist was so important to her diagnosis.