In 1991 my father nearly died of sepsis

He was in an ICU with ZERO white blood cells after treatment for cancer

His oncologist came in with a new medicine (literally approved that week by the FDA!) to stimulate his bone marrow

33 years later insurers are still fighting its use

Can’t wait for this session at #COA2024 - I’ll be sharing details about my post fellowship plans including a role supporting VBC efforts TennesseeOncology! Hope to inspire other fellows and showcase the personalized leadership opportunities available at a community oncology practice!

Pretty interesting yet simple analysis that Cigna is not an insurance company. No surprise that is a big reason it acquired the #PBM Express Scripts.
thehealthcarebreakdown.com/p/the-healthca…

Rollback of Prescription Delivery Flexibilities Poses Challenges for At-Risk Cancer Patients ⁦ASCO⁩ ⁦Community Oncology⁩ ⁦Nicolas Ferreyros⁩ ⁦Ted Okon⁩ ⁦The US Oncology Network⁩ ⁦Texas Oncology⁩ ⁦CMSGov⁩ ⁦Liz Fowler⁩ hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/jcp/rollb…

EOM Shows Awareness of Issues, but Provides No Resources, Says COA’s Nicolas Ferreyros - from ajmc

ow.ly/fzx750Q4ABK

LOSER: Family medicine.

Interest in FM continues to decline.

This year, the average FM program received just 605 applications. That’s down from 865 in 2021 and 1023 in 2018. 😳

FM had more SOAP positions than any other specialty last year - and likely will this year, too.

But the underlying reason for shortages is the same in Europe as in the United States... Prices have been driven down so low that generic drugmakers either exit the market or they don’t update their facilities, which can result in production interruptions

statnews.com/2023/10/25/dru…

Today, COA Vice President Debra Patt testified in front of the Energy and Commerce Committee committee on improving patient access to care, including the danger of continued Medicare fee schedule cuts, staffing shortages, and more. Thank you Dr. Patt! Texas Oncology

“The contracts that pharmacy benefit managers have with pharmacies are take-it-or-leave-it contracts,” Arnold said. “There is rarely much negotiation, if any. It barely covers the cost of the medications.”

from The Seattle Times

ow.ly/3cCf50PZ7w4

Last week, COA VP Debra Patt testified in front of Congress on ways to improve Medicare recipients' access to care - from CSPAN

ow.ly/hXWz50PZH25

Reducing Hospital Costs Without Hurting Patients - from @health_affairs

ow.ly/VzO350PZMoz

Had an amazing night at the New York Cancer Foundation #RaisingHopeGala celebrating an our fearless leader in cancer advocacy, Ted Okon.

What a beautiful gathering and fun time, all for such a good cause. Huge kudos to Dr. Jeff Vacirca, MD for what you have built and throwing a great party!

BREAKING NEWS: #Medicare seniors' premiums & deductibles will increase by 6% fueled by CMSGov overpaying #340B hospitals by 50%. Even CMS admits in its release that 340B 'remedy' fuels the increase in part. I am truly speechless!!! Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Secretary Xavier Becerra

'[The main symptoms of the new Omicron strain EG.5.1] are a sore throat, a runny nose, a blocked nose, sneezing, a cough without phlegm, a headache, a cough with phlegm, a hoarse voice, muscle aches and pains and an altered sense of smell..
However, shortness of breath, a loss…

Resistance from the University of Minnesota, whose main teaching hospital in Minneapolis is part of Fairview, and an investigation by Minnesota's attorney general, helped doom the deal. trib.al/0ULmiL0

You can take pretty much every student activist cancel culture free speech panic story from the last few years and pile then on top of one another and, even together, they’re not as egregious or shocking as this one story:

Research and patient experience shows that hospital consolidation is bad for patients. Less choice. Worse care. Higher prices. What to do about it is unclear. My thoughts on this conundrum. New York Times Op Ed KFF Health News nytimes.com/2023/07/25/opi…

Waters off the south Florida coast rose to an unfathomable level. On Monday, a buoy in Manatee Bay, about 40 miles south of Miami, posted a temperature of 101.1F, which falls under an ideal temp for a hot tub. The reading could be unprecedented globally.

washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/0…

“It’s an access problem,” said one doctor, whose clinic sees a lot of Medicaid patients. Insurers requiring prior authorization can lead to some individuals being denied care because they can’t wait or won’t appeal. nyti.ms/3Opgq4r

Pretty incredible: The MTA is going to save ~$12 million annually by bringing over its maintenance program for the M7 from Metro-North to the LIRR. That's right, same train, two entirely different maintenance program between two fiefdoms at the same agency.