CANCER BUZZ

Long lagging in acceptance from providers, patients, and payers, telehealth has undergone a renaissance in use due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, enabling millions of peopleto receive care remotely for the first time. Patient advocates who had lobbied for the reimbursement of remote care for years saw a drastic reversal of policies, with public and private payers suspending their rules which had previously limited reimbursement for telehealth. Now that the pandemic appears to be ebbing in parts of the country, providers are wondering whether the regulatory and policy changes enacted during 2020 will remain. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, we talk about what may change and what's likely to remain the same regarding reimbursement for telehealth this year and beyond.

Guest: Mei Wa Kwong, JD, Executive Director, Center for Connected Health Policy

Related Content:

• What Telehealth May Look Like in 2021
• ACCC Telehealth Resources
• Adoption and Expansion of Telehealth Solutions
• CANCER BUZZ Podcast: Telehealth After COVID-19
• On-Demand Webinar: Telehealth Reimbursement Update
• CMS: Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge
• USNews: The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Transformation of Telehealth
• McKinsey & Company: Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality?

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Five years ago, the FDA approved the first liquid biopsy test for use in patients with cancer, providing cancer teams and patients a less invasive and more efficient way to detect disease. But liquid biopsies aren't cheap, and reimbursement for them can be unpredictable and confusing.

On this episode of CANCER BUZZ, learn about the current clinical applications of liquid biopsies, associated reimbursement issues, and what you can do to implement these tests at your program.

Guests:

• J. Nicholas Bodor, MD, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD, Professor of Health Economics and Health Services Research; Director, Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine (TRANSPERS), University of California San Francisco

Related Content:

• BiomarkerLIVE
• On-Demand Webinar: Biomarker Testing Cost & Coverage
• Private Payer and Medicare Coverage for Circulating Tumor DNA Testing: A Historical Analysis of Coverage Policies from 2015 to 2019, JNCCN
• Reimbursement Challenges and Solutions with Molecular Biomarker Testing, JONS
• Biomarker Testing for Cancer Patients: Barriers and Solutions Part 5, Lablogatory

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Spiritual care teams can play a significant role in helping patients with cancer manage their fear and find a sense of peace. On this mini-podcast, learn why spiritual care is essential to comprehensive, high-quality cancer care, and discover how the administration of spiritual services has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guest: Rev. Lori A. McKinley, MDiv, BCC, Chaplain; Director of Mission, Mercy Health

Related Content:

• Journeying Beyond the Physical: Addressing a Patient's Spiritual Concerns
• Spiritual Care of Cancer Patients, by Rev. Lori A. McKinley, MDiv, BCC
• Finding Comfort in Spirituality, National Comprehensive Cancer Network
• Spiritual Care for Cancer Patients, Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing
• Learning to Die: Real-Life Stories of Ordinary People with Extraordinary Bravery
• Mini-Podcast: End-of-Life Health Disparities

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has become a much wider practice, enabling millions to receive care at home. Genetic screening, testing, and counseling are particularly amenable to telehealth, but their future remains to be seen. On this episode of CANCER BUZZ, we look at how genetic healthcare services have adapted to virtual delivery, and what challenges face its widespread use after the pandemic is over.

Guest: Feyi Olopade Ayodele, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, CancerIQ, Inc.

Related Content:

• ACCC 47th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit
• ACCC Telehealth Page
• Episode 26: Telehealth after COVID-19
• Bringing Genetic Testing Closer to Home
• 7 Ways COVID-19 Is Transforming Telehealth
• Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, National Committee for Quality Assurance

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Palliative care isn't just about the end of life, it's also about improving the quality of life for patients and caregivers—but challenges exist for minority groups in accessing palliative services. On this mini-podcast, learn about the cultural and logistical barriers to end-of-life health equity and discover strategies that programs can implement to both address palliative care earlier in the care continuum and reduce health disparities.

Guest: Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine; Chief Quality Officer, Cancer Services, Mount Sinai Health System, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology and Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Related Content:

• Mini-Podcast: Cultural Humility & Sensitivity
• Mini-Podcast: Building Trust with Marginalized Groups
• Webinar: Early Introduction of Palliative Care and Best Practices for End of Life
• Improving Care of Advanced Cancer Patients with a Dedicated Palliative Radiotherapy Team, by Kavita Dharmarajan, MD, MSc
• Webcast: Building Trust with Patients: Importance of Cultural Competence in Cancer Care Delivery

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

From unethical experimentation to systematic exclusion, racism has played a terrible role in the development of American healthcare. On this mini-podcast, we discuss how the legacy of clinical trials continues to affect today's research, and share strategies for cancer programs to effectively communicate with underrepresented and marginalized populations.

Guest: Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, Medical Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center; Associate Medical Director, DFCI Network

Related Content:

• Mini-Podcast: Building Trust with Marginalized Groups
• Building Trust with Patients: Importance of Cultural Competence in Cancer Care Delivery (webcast)
• Community Outreach to Address Disparities in Cancer Care
• Eating the Elephant
• Implementation of a Health Disparities & Equity Program at the Duke Cancer Institute, by Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, et al.
• Research Review: Making Clinical Trials More Inclusive, Diverse, Accessible, and Representative

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Oral anti-cancer medications are one of the most important recent developments in oncology: less invasive than infusions, able to be taken at home, and offering more independence to patients. But if treatment isn't coordinated properly, issues with safety and adherence can impact patient outcomes.

On this episode of CANCER BUZZ, learn how the entire cancer care team can help in promoting safe oral anti-cancer medication adherence by bridging gaps in patient education, management and monitoring.

Guest: Emily Hajjar, PharmD, MS, BCPS, BCACP, BCGP, Program Director, Population Health Pharmacy Program, Jefferson College of Pharmacy

Related Content:

• Evaluating Pharmacy Dispensing Models to Help Improve Cancer Care Delivery
• CANCER BUZZ Episode 24: Managing Oral Anti-Cancer Medications
• Integrating Oral Oncolytics into Pharmacy Practice
• The Oncology Pharmacy Navigator, by Kelly Rice, PharmD
• Optimize Oral Chemotherapy Management, Pharmacy Purchasing & Products
• Challenges to Oral Chemotherapy Adherence, U.S. Pharmacist
• Comparison of rates of adherence to oral chemotherapy medications filled through an internal health-system specialty pharmacy vs external specialty pharmacies, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

In healthcare, Implicit and unconscious bias can manifest in many ways. On this mini-podcast, discover what steps cancer programs can take to build trust with patients from marginalized and underrepresented groups and ensure a more equitable and accessible healthcare environment.

Guest: Nadine Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, Director, Office of Health Equity and Disparities, Duke Cancer Institute; Director, Duke Community Connections Core, Duke CTSA

Related Content:

• Community Outreach to Address Disparities in Cancer Care
• Eating the Elephant
• Implementation of a Health Disparities & Equity Program at the Duke Cancer Institute, by Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, et al.
• Research Review: Making Clinical Trials More Inclusive, Diverse, Accessible, and Representative
• Unconscious Bias Resources for Health Professionals, Association of American Medical Colleges
• Implicit Association Test, Harvard University

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Sexual and gender minority patients with cancer experience health disparities that impact access to screening and treatment—and can have worse outcomes as a result. On this mini-podcast, we explore the barriers and challenges that LGBTQ+ patients with cancer face, and how cancer programs can make their care more inclusive.

Guest: Rosemary Thomas, MPH, CHES, Director of Operations, Penn Medicine Center for Health Equity; Associate Director, Penn Med Program for LGBTQ Health

Related Content:

• December 2020 Research Review: Sexual and Gender Minority Representation in Clinical Research
• Cancer Care Considerations for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients, by Mandi L. Pratt-Chapman, MA, PhD, and Jennifer Potter, MD
• Pursuing Quality Cancer Care for Sexual and Gender Minority Patients
• National LGBT Cancer Network
• Cancer Care for Transgender and Gender-diverse Populations, American Society of Clinical Oncology

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Long lagging in acceptance from providers, payers, and patients, telehealth has undergone a renaissance in 2020, enabling millions of people to receive healthcare in the safety of their homes when it was too dangerous to venture outside. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, the healthcare industry wants to know: What is the future of telehealth in a post-pandemic world?

In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, we discuss how healthcare providers and policymakers can work together to pave the future of telehealth beyond the current public health emergency. Now that the barriers to telehealth have tumbled on an unprecedented scale, it's doubtful future healthcare delivery will maintain the status quo.

Guest: Frank Micciche, Vice President, Public Policy & External Relations, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Related Content

• NCQA Taskforce on Telehealth Policy
• ACCC Telehealth Page
• Half of Physicians Now Use Telehealth as COVID-19 Changes Practice Operations (Fierce Healthcare)
• The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Transformation of Telehealth (US News)
• Telehealth: A Quarter-Trillion-Dollar Post-COVID-19 Reality? (McKinsey)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Community Cancer Centers.