Community Oncology Alliance

It’s been an eventful year so far for independent community oncology practices. COA has been active in DC and across the country advocating for policies that protect and preserve access to independent community oncology. Stay updated with the COA's Mid-Year Update, featuring policy and legislation highlights, initiative and network updates, and more. https://bit.ly/4d8uqcU #CancerCare #CommunityOncology

Breaking news: Chairman James Comer has requested that the CEOs of the three major #PBMs correct their testimonies made before the House Oversight Committee on the role of PBMs in prescription drug Markets last month.   Kudos to the Congressman. We must continue placing the pressure on these PBM middlemen who interfere with cancer care!   https://lnkd.in/gQgvYE-A 

Days can make all the difference in determining the outcome between life and death. What happens when pharmacy benefit managers interfere in care for patients with cancer? In one instance, recurring delayed shipments from a PBM’s mail-order pharmacy ultimately drove a physician to change a patient’s therapy protocol so she could have her multiple myeloma medication in time. How does that happen? Upon changing medical providers from a large hospital system to a local, independent community oncology practice, a patient’s insurance forced her to use a PBM’s pharmacy. By the time they processed her multiple myeloma medication and scheduled the delivery, her medication was already a week late. When she called FedEx, she learned they had no record of the order from the PBM-mail-order pharmacy. She finally was able to get a one-time fill at her oncologist’s in-house pharmacy after insurance issued a “lost medication override.” The issue didn’t end there: her shipment from the PBM mail-order pharmacy continued to be late every month until her physician revised the therapy protocol. Read how PBMs hurt patient care and delay access to medication: https://bit.ly/3SFeGWG #PBM

How can payers, providers, and oncology leaders improve patients’ quality of life? COA staff, board members, and practice leaders will attend the Patient-Centered Oncology Care conference hosted by AJMC - The American Journal of Managed Care. COA’s Judith Alberto, MHA, RPh, BCOP, director of clinical initiatives, is part of Thursday’s panel conversation on the increased visibility of pharmacy in cancer care decisions. Learn more: https://bit.ly/46XbOKC #CancerCare #PCOC2024 

State and federal policy changes to price transparency, prior authorization, and other legislation can affect independent community oncology practices’ ability to provide the best cancer care for patients. Stay updated on the latest happenings using COA’s policy tracker: https://bit.ly/4dBKKTl #CancerCare

Cancer care providers in rural areas face different challenges than their urban and suburban counterparts. Join Rose Gerber, MS and Harsha Vyas MD FACP, on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at noon ET as they discuss the realities of fighting cancer in rural areas.

Independent cancer clinics help patients navigate everything from high out-of-pocket costs to medication delays. Carol Riley of St Louis Cancer Care, L.L.P explains how the Community Oncology Alliance helps her and her team do it. “When people with cancer don’t get their medication on time, outcomes can suffer. Thanks to COA and COA Pharmacy Association, I get to make sure our patients always get the best care possible.” Watch Riley’s story in the latest Faces of Community Oncology feature: https://bit.ly/4dsFLUS #CommunityOncology

Join MyCOA to unlock knowledge from COA and local, independent practices nationwide. MyCOA is a free membership portal with exclusive tools and resources to help practices solve operational challenges, navigate new payment and delivery models, advocate for community oncology, and more. Join MyCOA today: https://bit.ly/3yB7TX5

“The PBM-mail-order pharmacy system focuses on profit and not the patient. Our cancer patients deserve better.” Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are middlemen who interfere with cancer care year after year. In this PBM horror story, a 60-year-old with stage IV colon cancer was trying a third cancer therapy prescribed by his doctor. The PBM’s pharmacy demanded a $5,000 upfront payment, which would have been $0 with a copay card. Rather than helping him sign up for the copay card program, the pharmacy gave him the phone number and told him to call back after he registered. The patient contacted his community oncology practice, which helped him navigate the process and successfully change his copay to $0. Read other examples of the real-life patient impact of PBMs: https://bit.ly/3YDfNK2 #PBM

A recent court defeat for CVS is shining a light on how health-care corporations wield their financial might over doctors and pharmacies in ways that can put profits over patient care.