The IQVIA Institute recently reported that there were 15,501 Illegal Online Pharmacies, or I-O-P’s, collectively selling approximately 85 million illegal prescriptions, with an estimated value of $34 billion dollars. At the time of the study, these IOP’s were actively marketing 70% (5,085) of the 7,310 legally prescribed medicines dispensed to patients in the USA.

Need more information? Or have suggestions for topics of interest? Please reach out with an email to Insights@ Petauri.com

Check out @Petauri‘s growing library of Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://petauri.com/executive-briefings/

Antimicrobial Resistance Could Surpass Cancer as the Leading Cause of Death by 2050. 

Antimicrobial Resistance is globally recognized as one of the greatest health threats of the 21st century, and yet... we hardly hear anything about it. It’s directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and contributing to 4.95 million deaths overall. Social distancing reduced that number to around 1.14 million in 2021, however by 2050 Antimicrobial Resistance is projected to be associated with over 8 million deaths per year2. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2050 AMR could lead to more deaths than cancer.

 Antimicrobial medicines are the cornerstone of modern medicine. They are used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals, and plants, and includes antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. Antimicrobial Resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites develop resistance to these medicines and no longer respond to the treatment. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death.

Need more information? Or have suggestions for topics of interest? Please reach out with an email to Insights@ Petauri. 

Check out @Petauri‘s growing library of Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://petauri.com/executive-briefings/

Balancing Early Detection and Incidental Findings in Lung Cancer Screening
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. While the 5-year survival rate for locally advanced lung cancer is under 5%, early-stage diagnosis can elevate this rate to as high as 60%. Mortality risk factors include age, smoking history, environmental conditions, and social determinants of health. 

Need more information? Please email us at Insights@Petauri.com.

Welcome to our updated 3-minute Executive Briefing, where we’ve rebranded our program under our new Petauri name. As you are familiar, The Kinetix Group partnered with Petauri Health, a purpose-built pharmaceutical commercialization services platform based in New York City, to expand TKG’s capabilities and enhance the resources and expertise available to our clients. Over the last 18 months, Petauri has expanded rapidly with the addition of multiple best-in-class teams bringing recognized expertise in global market access, medical affairs, patient services, and data analytics. We partner with life sciences companies to effectively engage with health systems, payers, and patients. 

The topic for this week’s @The Kinetix Group PACT Executive Briefing is “The FACT Standards for Immune Effector Cells.” These accrediting standards were developed by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), using a consensus of experts to promote quality medical and laboratory practice across the field of immune effector cell therapy. Immune Effector Cells are cells that have been modified to effect a specific immune response, with a therapeutic intent.

Therapies made from Immune Effector Cells include genetically modified Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells (CAR T-cells), CAR-NK cells, and dendritic cell vaccines. This broad designation includes therapies with widely diverse manufacturing methods, therapeutic constructs, clinical indications, and safety and toxicity profiles.

In the USA, cooperative clinical trial groups require institutions entering patients on Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy (HCT) trials to have FACT accreditation. Most insurance companies require HCT programs to at least disclose FACT accreditation status as part of the application for Center of Excellence designation. As CAR-T cell products have received approvals, manufacturers have required that these products be administered in a FACT-accredited clinical program.

The focus of Immune Effector Cell Standards is the clinical unit, the collection facility responsible for starting the cellular therapy product, the cell processing and/or manufacturing facilities, and the care delivery sites for administration. These standards are as complex as the cell therapies they support and require thoughtful attention to the details as manufacturers develop their market access strategies.

Source: The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (2024). FACT Standards for Immune Effector Cells Second Edition – Version 2.0; Accessed from: https://www.factglobal.org/standards/immune-effector-standards/

Need more information? As always, if you need a deeper dive into any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Check out @The Kinetix Group‘s growing library of TKG PACT Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Medication Adherence for Patients with Severe Mental Illness.

Adherence to prescribed medication regimens improves outcomes for patients with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depressive disorder. Psychiatric disorders are a significant public health problem: schizophrenia affects about 23 million people worldwide, bipolar disorders affect about 60 million worldwide, and major depressive disorder affects another 350 million, people worldwide. Major depressive disorder is considered by many to be the most damaging psychiatric disorder and is associated with substantial disability, morbidity, mortality, and cost.

Medication therapy is essential for the successful management of patients with serious mental illness. Medication non-adherence is highly prevalent, ranging between 63–74% in patients with schizophrenia1, about 50% in patients with bipolar disorders1, and as high as 60% in patients with major depressive disorder. About 25% of patients discontinue their medication within the first week after discharge from inpatient treatment. Further, the World Health Organization has reported that for persons with mental health issues and other, comorbid chronic diseases, medication nonadherence is 50%. Nonadherence is defined as taking less than 80% of prescribed doses, which has been validated in predicting future hospitalization rates.

Need more information? As always, if you need a deeper dive into any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Check out @The Kinetix Group‘s growing library of TKG PACT Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Introduction to Gene-Editing Therapy: CRISPR

CRISPR is a relatively new medical advancement that was inspired by the natural defense mechanism found in some microbes, such as bacteria. To protect themselves against invaders like viruses, these microbes capture snippets of the intruder’s DNA and store them away as segments called CRISPRs, or Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats. If the same germ tries to attack again, those DNA segments (turned into short pieces of RNA) help an enzyme called Cas find and slice up the invader’s DNA. 

In the laboratory, the CRISPR process consists of two main components: a DNA-cutting enzyme called “Cas9” modified with an added guide RNA. The guide RNA is engineered to mirror the target DNA of the gene to be edited. The guide RNA seeks for and locates, the target DNA. When the guide RNA finds an exact match, the Cas9 enzyme cuts, or modifies the target DNA. 

Need more information? As always, if you need a deeper dive into any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Check out @The Kinetix Group‘s growing library of TKG PACT Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Introduction to Targeted Therapies: CAR T-cell Therapy 

T-cell Transfer Therapy is a special type of immunotherapy that takes a person’s own T-cells (a type of immune cell), adds specific antigens to the T-cells that can identify the cancer cells,  and puts them back into the person’s body. Cancer cells express unique antigens (signaling proteins). T-cells are programmed in the lab to find those signals and deliver a cancer stopping treatment right to the individual cancer cell. There are two main types of T-cell transfer therapy: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and CAR T-cell Therapy. 

Targeted therapies are evolving rapidly and are increasingly more patient specific, as well as significantly more complex to manufacture and deliver. With any of these therapies, life science companies may need to thoughtfully consider strategies for addressing market access needs, patient journey issues, and the complexities of clinical care delivery protocols. 

Need more information? Please email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Check out @The Kinetix Group‘s growing library of TKG PACT Executive Briefings where you can listen and download the companion PDF infographics.

https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Provider Insights on the Impact of 340B Pricing.

We frequently get asked for insights on how the 340B Drug Pricing Program may... or may not... be impacting the prescribing choices of participating covered entities. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) administers this federal program which is intended to help safety-net providers carry out their missions to serve their communities. 

The Kinetix Group (TKG) recently conducted a market access research study to gain insights from healthcare providers on how the 340B program is impacting care delivery in covered entities. You can reach out to us for the full study, but a few of the highlights from our study are included in this briefing

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com 

Today’s topic is the The Federal NOPAIN Act.

The Federal “Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction In the Nation Act” (or, the “NOPAIN Act”), Senate bill S.586, was signed into law in December 2022. It takes effect this coming January as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2025 OPPS proposed rule. 

The NOPAIN Act directs CMS to reimburse hospital and surgical centers separately for non-opioid, post-surgical pain control, in hopes of reducing or replacing opioid consumption. By separating, or “unbundling,” payment for non-opioid pain control, hospitals and surgical centers may receive additional reimbursement for non-opioid alternatives, encouraging the use of substitute means of pain control. This helps to ensure that non-opioid options are more widely available to individuals as a post-surgical treatment option.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

The High-Value Pharmacy Enterprise Framework.

The High-Value Pharmacy Enterprise Framework is a collection of evidence-based and expert recommended best practices designed to enhance health system pharmacy operations by ensuring safe, effective, and patient-centered medication management throughout the health-system pharmacy enterprise. It is gaining in popularity due to the many patient safety, operational, and cost efficiencies it brings to health systems that embrace the model. 

The HVPE framework is built around 8 Domains of essential pharmacy practice elements that are established best practices for health-system pharmacies. The framework contains a total of 94 operational statements and 336 performance measures within these 8 domains.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Introduction to Targeted Therapies: Monoclonal Antibodies

Targeted Therapy is the foundation of Precision Medicine. Targeted therapy is a type of personalized treatment that targets specific proteins that control how cells grow, divide, and spread. 

Antibodies are produced naturally by our body and help the immune system recognize cells that cause disease, such as bacteria and viruses, and mark them for destruction. Antibodies can be engineered in the laboratory to find and attach themselves to specific targets, called antigens, found on cancer cells. They are made to recognize and bind only to a very specific antigen target. 

This week's episode highlights three important terms you may be hearing: Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Monoclonal Antibodies, and Bispecific Antibodies.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

All 50 states now allow pharmacists and physicians to enter into Collaborative Practice Agreements (CPAs) in which one or more pharmacists establish a formal relationship with a prescriber, in which the prescriber can delegate specific tasks to a pharmacist under negotiated conditions, which would not otherwise be permitted under the pharmacist’s normal scope of practice

Although state laws vary, generally, CPAs allow prescribers to delegate specific patient care tasks to pharmacists. The pharmacist’s scope of practice under a CPA is generally defined by established protocols that are condition or disease specific. For example, under a CPA, pharmacists many be empowered to perform patient assessments, order laboratory tests, prescribe drugs, counsel patients,  and make referrals for related care. They may also be permitted to select, initiate, monitor, continue, discontinue, adjust, and refill therapy regimens.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

When a physician prescribes an expensive specialty medication for a patient, the traditional distribution process was for the provider to purchase the medication, administer it to the patient, and then bill the insurance company for the drug. This “buy-and-bill” process has been utilized for many years. 

In recent years, and to help control costs, third-party payers have mandated that the medications come from their own pharmacies where they have more control over the acquisition price of the drugs. This is especially prevalent for expensive, specialty pharmaceuticals. 

Various alternatives of this approach have been referred to as “bagging”. In this episode, we define the different types of "bagging" that you may be hearing about.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Laboratory Benefit Managers have emerged over the past decade to fill the need to manage complex and expensive laboratory testing for payers. They have become the new Precision Medicine Gatekeepers. 

Results from over 14 billion diagnostic tests are estimated to influence 70% of today’s clinical decisions. It’s estimated that there is both overutilization of testing in approximately 20% of cases, and underutilization of testing in approximately 45% of cases. Laboratory Benefit Managers have improved Next Generation Sequencing test payment turnaround times, but also have increased denial rates. 

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

The term therapeutic inertia describes the failure of health care providers to initiate or intensify therapy when it is clearly indicated by established guidelines. The term has largely been applied to the management of blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, by primary care physicians who recognize the need for their patients to control these conditions but fail to act sufficiently to achieve the guideline recommended therapeutic targets. Despite clearly articulated, evidence-based, clinical guidelines, some physicians fail to translate this knowledge into practice. We believe that therapeutic inertia plays a significant role in delaying the adoption of many new treatments. 

Most practitioners function within a “personal comfort zone” of prescribing behavior, being reluctant to take unnecessary risks with new drugs. There is a natural “learning curve,” where clinicians need to learn the side effect profiles and characteristics of new drugs, as well as to be assured that the drugs perform as promised.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Since 2016, 13 states have passed Drug Price Transparency Laws focused on enabling state policymakers to understand opaque drug pricing and payment systems to formulate policy solutions to high prices, while also creating the data infrastructure to realize those policy solutions. 

Most of these state programs require reporting from manufacturers when they increase the Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) of a drug above a certain threshold or if they introduce a drug with a high launch price.  

Since 2020, 8 states have enacted Prescription Drug Affordability Boards often referred to as P-DABs, entities with the authority to review high cost drugs and in some states set an upper payment limit to ensure no one pays more than that amount in the state.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Today's topic is the CMS Prior Authorization Final Rule
 
On January 17th, 2024, CMS published the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule, to improve the electronic exchange of health care data as well as to streamline prior authorization processes. This final rule also adds a new measure for merit-based incentive payment system or MIPS eligible clinicians.
Beginning in January 2026, health insurers participating in federal programs including Medicare advantage and Medicaid, must respond to expedited (that's "urgent") prior authorization requests within 72 hours and standard (or "non-urgent") requests within seven days. Insurers must also include their reasons for denying a prior authorization request and will be required to publicly release data on denial and approval rates for medical treatment.

You can download the full Executive Briefing at:  https://tkgpact.com/executive-briefings/

Or, feel free to email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Today’s topic is the Federal No Surprises Act.

The Federal No Surprises Act is intended to protect consumers from unexpected medical bills that occur when a patient unknowingly receives medical services from physicians and other providers who are outside of their health insurance network; in other words, healthcare providers who are not “in network”. 

The law protects consumers specifically from surprise medical bills in three main scenarios:

1.    Emergency care from an Out-of-Network provider at an In-Network facility;

2.    Any care from an undisclosed Out-of-Network provider; and

3.    Uninsured or self-pay patients from unknown costs.


You may download the full TKG PACT Executive Briefing highlighted in this episode, at Executive Briefings | TKG PACT

We welcome your suggestions, ideas, and requests for Executive Briefing topics of interest. Please email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Welcome to our new and revised market insights podcast format, where we have renamed our program the TKG PACT Executive Briefing. The new format will be condensed into 3-minute episodes of market insights, where we highlight one of healthcare’s critical market access issues, policies, challenges, or trends.

We hope you enjoy this new “3-Minute Market Insights” format and hope that this resource provides helpful information in smaller, easier to digest, sound bites. Most of these TKG PACT Executive Briefings will have a downloadable PDF that you can access on our website. Instructions will be given with each episode. Look for a new episode to be available about every other week.

Need more information? Or have suggestions for topics of interest? Please email us at Insights@thekinetixgroup.com

Telehealth Policy Gaps: Challenges with Remote Prescribing

On May 11th, the Public Health Emergency (PHE) and some of the provisions that supported the explosive growth of telehealth, will expire, leaving telehealth providers scrambling to address some of the challenges of proving remote care.

My special guest in this episode is Dori Martini, Vice President of Operations and Regulatory Affairs for Circle Medical, a large, multi-state, contemporary, personalized primary care practice that offers high quality care, both in person, and via telemedicine. They are an affiliate of the University of California at San Francisco.

Dori has an impressive understanding of the gaps – especially policy gaps - becoming evident in the day-to-day use of telehealth. In this episode, she shares some unique “best practices” in working around a few of the gaps and some practical ideas for managing your remote patients.

Circling the Wagons… to Solve Real Problems in Neurology

It is estimated that globally, one in six people are affected by a health issue that includes some form of a neurological disorder. Within the United States, as many as 100 million people are having some kind of an issue related to a neurological disorder. Add to that the explosion of breakthrough new therapies for challenging neurologic diseases and disorders, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, migraines, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and ALS. The field of neurology is growing rapidly and the demand for services from this specialty is way outpacing capacity. It’s an exciting, yet challenging, moment in the treatment of neurological disorders!

Our special guests today are the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer from DENT Neurologic Institute and NeuroNet Pro, Joe Fritz and Christine Mann. They are the leading experts in the business side of neurology, and we are going to dig into this unique specialty in today's episode.

"Period Poverty"... a Taboo Topic?

Unfortunately, there are some issues in healthcare that seem to get ignored, or simply don’t get discussed appropriately, and today’s topic is one of these challenging issues.   In many circles, menstruation is a topic that is difficult to discuss openly, which complicates the challenges of period poverty. Today we explore the challenges of period poverty and how that may contribute to the significant global problem of Iron deficiency in reproductive age women.

Our special guests today are Mindy Olivarez, Vice President of Innovation at The Kinetix Group, and Michela Bedard, the Executive Director at PERIOD, a nonprofit that aims to support individuals affected by challenging menstrual cycle issues.
For mor information on PERIOD, visit their website at Peroid.org.

NCCN Policy & Advocacy Priorities

Supporting high quality cancer care through the NCCN Guidelines is a strategic pillar for the NCCN. Alyssa Schatz is the Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. She shares the current strategic priorities for her team in this week’s episode.

Musical Chairs... Improving Infusion Therapy

“Musical Chairs”… how are we managing infusion center operations amid the financial and staffing woes of a healthcare system exhausted from nearly 3 years of a roller coaster ride due to the pandemic? Our guests for this episode are Christine Mann, Chief Operating Officer and Director of the DENT Infusion Center, DENT Neurologic Institute, and Andre’ Diamant, Chief Executive Officer of Gray Oncology Solutions. Both are experts in infusion therapy operations.

Who trains surgeons what medications to prescribe?

We don't often think about surgeons as being significant prescribers of medications, but they actually prescribe a lot of medications and help patients manage their medications, as they prepare for and recover from a surgical procedure.  And in today's world of team based care, the surgeon is actively engaged in patient care planning. So how does a surgeon learn what medications to prescribe?  

Our special guest on this episode is Dr. Andrew Smedley, a PGY2 general surgery resident at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Impact of Operating Room Shut Downs Due to Staffing Shortages

A recent article in the Boston Globe raised a red alert on hospital operating rooms being temporarily closed due to staffing shortages and other pandemic related challenges. In the article, Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO of UMass Memorial Health, reported that, “… closing ORs is a near daily event.” He stated that UMass Memorial has nearly 2,000 staff vacancies, including 500 openings for nurses, making it hard to keep the ORs functioning at normal capacity. In the article, Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey, and Lowell General all reported similar challenges in keeping their operating rooms open.

Our special guest on this episode is Richard Palarea, CEO of Kermit PPI, a Baltimore-based healthcare cost reduction and spend management company focused on maximizing operating room efficiencies and profitability. Rich is an expert in hospital OR operations and has seen the good and bad side of healthcare systems from a business and management perspective.

Advancing Health Equity: Individual Point of Care Solutions

Health equity is a complex issue, with a broad range of governmental, social service, and health care stakeholders who are wrestling with these issues. My guests today are The Kinetix Group’s four summer interns. They’ve been researching the  challenges of improving health equity and how each of us can make a positive contribution to achieving the Quadruple of Aim of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the work life of health care providers and staff. In this episode, we explore how some innovative point of care solutions to help advance health equity.

Advancing Health Equity: Using Data and Technology to Improve Outcomes.

Health equity is a complex issue, with a broad range of governmental, social service, and health care stakeholders who are wrestling with these issues. My guests today are The Kinetix Group’s four summer interns. They’ve been researching the  challenges of improving health equity and how each of us can make a positive contribution to achieving the Quadruple of Aim of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the work life of health care providers and staff. In this episode, we explore how stakeholders can come together to collaboratively work on advancing health equity.

Advancing Health Equity: How are we doing?

Health equity is a complex issue, with a broad range of governmental, social service, and health care stakeholders who are wrestling with these issues. My guests today are The Kinetix Group’s four summer interns. They’ve been researching the  challenges of improving health equity and how each of us can make a positive contribution to achieving the Quadruple of Aim of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs, and improving the work life of health care providers and staff.

Are Staffing Shortages Increasing Adverse Events?

In March, The Advisory Board reported on the Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2022 according to ECRI, a 60-year-old nonprofit committed to the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. ECRI publishes an annual report on safety concerns and this year, number one on their list is “Staffing Shortages.” ECRI stated that, “Adverse events… were happening because the staff… were exhausted, and that contributes to human error.”

The Advisory Board cited other research that found nurses are 67% more likely to have a failure of patient safety when working overtime, and that insufficient staffing is the number 1 factor influencing nurses’ intention of leaving their current position. 

Today's guest is Mark Lloyd, Senior Vice President at Guideway Care, a tech-enabled, patient activation, and care navigation company, that is addressing staffing shortages and clinical team exhaustion with care guidance and navigation. 

Email us at: oncology@thekinetixgroup.com

#TKGoncology.com

The Unintended Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Drug Prices

Recently, we attended the Hematology Oncology Pharmacy Association’s annual meeting in Boston, where we presented research our team did on the effect of Medicaid Expansion on the price of drugs. We were curious about the impact of Medicaid Expansion on the price of drugs, which is one of the more significant topics of discussion these days. What we discovered is that there may be some unintended consequences on drug pricing.

Hospital Flash Report: January was Devastating for Finances

In February, Kaufman Hall published their Hospital Flash report that showed hospital finances in major distress mode, following the end of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or, CARES Act, funding. They reported that in January the median change in operating margin without CARES decreased 71.3 percent; operating room minutes fell by 15.7 percent; the average length of stay rose 8.6 percent; labor expense per adjusted discharge jumped 14.6 percent; and total expense per adjusted discharge increased 11.6 percent. Sounds like a bad start to 2022… 

Our guest is Mike Blair, Chief Financial Officer at CentraCare Health in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Genetic Testing Errors Negatively Impact Therapeutic Decision Making

In this episode, we continue our discussion with Meagan Farmer and Danielle Bonadies as we discuss how the Top Errors in Genetic Testing may be negatively affecting therapeutic decision making. We also discuss ways that life science companies may be able to appropriately support the accurate interpretation of genetic testing results and make sure patients receive the right therapy for their situation.

To help you understand this issue better, The Kinetix Group has developed an infographic that summarizes the Top Errors in Genetic Counseling and some of the findings from the patient case studies highlighted in today's episode. If you would like a copy of this infographic, titled, “Challenges and Errors in Genetic Testing Negatively Impact Therapeutic Decision-Making,” please email me directly or send a request to our podcast email address: oncology@thekinetixgroup.com. I would be happy to send you a free copy.

#TKGOncology

Top Errors in Genetic Testing Negatively Impact Therapeutic Decision Making

In today's episode we take a look at some of the significant challenges and errors we are seeing in the use of genetic and genomic testing, as they become mainstreamed into our clinical treatment protocols. Today we highlight the Top Errors in Genetic Testing and how these errors may be impacting therapeutic decision making.
To help you understand this issue better, The Kinetix Group has developed an infographic that summarizes the Top Errors in Genetic Counseling and some of the findings from the patient case studies highlighted in today's episode. If you would like a copy of this infographic, titled, “Challenges and Errors in Genetic Testing Negatively Impact Therapeutic Decision-Making,” please email me directly or send a request to our podcast email address: oncology@thekinetixgroup.com. I would be happy to send you a free copy.

#TKGOncology, #genetictesting

The Battle over Site-of-Care

In this episode, my good friend and colleague, Ellen Feinstein, and I continue our debrief of the December Oncology Thought Leader’s panel meeting. Today, we focus on how our panel member’s are handling their battles over Site-of-Care, also some of their thoughts on care redesign, as well as looking at care coordination and patient navigation to help address social determinants of health. December’s meeting was particularly insightful. This is part 2 of our Oncology Thought Leaders meeting debrief. 

#TKGOncology

Critical Issues Facing Academic Cancer Centers

A few weeks ago, we hosted our December meetings of the Oncology Thought Leaders Network, a part of TKG’s Networks of Excellence, where we discussed many of the critical issues in cancer center administration and care delivery.  In this episode, we debrief our Thought Leader's discussion on the top issues "keeping cancer center leadership up at night." 

#TKGOncology

Genetic Testing – Leveraging Results to Identify Patients for New Therapies 

Today’s guest is Danielle Bonadies, a master’s trained genetic counselor and the Director of Genetics for My Gene Counsel. Danielle co-authored a poster presentation at the annual conference of the National Society of Genetic Counselors in September. The study highlighted the explosive growth of genetic and genomic testing and tracked the number of notifications and updates to genetic medical management and risk profiling guidelines. In this  episode, Danielle shares ideas about how to leverage genetic testing for clinical trial recruitment, as well as being able to quickly identify patients who might benefit from a new therapy. 

www.TKGOncology.com

Genetic Testing – Managing Updates to Medical Management and Risk Profiling 

Today’s guest is Danielle Bonadies, a master’s trained genetic counselor and the Director of Genetics for My Gene Counsel. Danielle co-authored a poster presentation at the annual conference of the National Society of Genetic Counselors in September. The study highlighted the explosive growth of genetic and genomic testing and tracked the number of notifications and updates to genetic medical management and risk profiling guidelines. Danielle shares how this study suggests just how much patients and providers may be struggling to keep up with all of the new information. 

www.TKGOncology.com

Melissa Childress, COO, Seidman Cancer Center - People & Process Driven Innovation

In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we will be highlighting the findings from our Oncology Thought Leaders  meeting discussion on  People and Process Driven Innovations coming out of the COVID pandemic, and exploring some of these issues in a little more detail. 

Melissa Childress is the Chief Operating Officer for the University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, in Cleveland Ohio. 

www.TKGOncology.com

PART 2- Understanding the Complexities U.S. Drug Price Contracting

There has been a ton of talk about the need for “transparent pricing,” as well as controlling the cost of drugs in the US. There seems to be a lot of finger pointing going on and it often looks like the providers and the manufacturers are taking a lot of the heat…!?

Our special guest today is Antonio Ciaccia, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, of 3 Axis Advisors. I had the privilege of hearing Antonio speak at a recent Midwest Business Group on Health webinar, and I asked Antonio to please help us understand the complexities of the drug distribution channel and how this system can really muddy the waters in our pursuit of more transparency in this segment of the healthcare system.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on this episode, are those of the guest(s), and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of The Kinetix Group and our staff, clients, or customers.

www.TKGOncology.com

PART 1 - Understanding the Complexities of US Drug Price Contracting

There has been a ton of talk about the need for “transparent pricing,” as well as controlling the cost of drugs in the US. There seems to be a lot of finger pointing going on and it often looks like the providers and the manufacturers are taking a lot of the heat…!?

Our special guest today is Antonio Ciaccia, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, of 3 Axis Advisors. I had the privilege of hearing Antonio speak at a recent Midwest Business Group on Health webinar, and I asked Antonio to please help us understand the complexities of the drug distribution channel and how this system can really muddy the waters in our pursuit of more transparency in this segment of the healthcare system.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on this episode, are those of the guest(s), and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of The Kinetix Group and our staff, clients, or customers.

www.TKGOncology.com

Part 2 - Technology Driven Innovations in Cancer Care; Amy Porter-Tacoronte, Duke Health

In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we continue our discussion, highlighting the findings from our Oncology Thought Leaders meeting discussion on  Technology Driven Innovations coming out of the COVID pandemic, and exploring some of these issues in a little more detail.  Our special guest is Amy Porter-Tacoronte. Amy is a longtime healthcare executive and Thought Leader panel member, who currently serves as the Vice Chair of Administration and Finance, and Chief Administrative Officer, for the Department of Medicine at Duke Health and the Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, North Carolina. 

Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on this episode, are those of the guest(s), and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of The Kinetix Group and our staff, clients, or customers.

#TKGOncology
TKGoncology.com

Part 1 - Technology Driven Innovations in Cancer Care; Amy Porter-Tacoronte, Duke Health

In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we highlight the findings from our Oncology Thought Leaders meeting discussion on  Technology Driven Innovations coming out of the COVID pandemic, and exploring some of these issues in a little more detail.  Our special guest is Amy Porter-Tacoronte. Amy is a longtime healthcare executive and Thought Leader panel member, who currently serves as the Vice Chair of Administration and Finance, and Chief Administrative Officer, for the Department of Medicine at Duke Health and the Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, North Carolina. 

Please note that the views and opinions expressed by the guest(s) on this episode, are those of the guest(s), and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of The Kinetix Group and our staff, clients, or customers.

#TKGOncology
TKGoncology.com

Advancing Patient-Centered Care – Part 2

 Each summer, The Kinetix Group brings in several student interns, to explore the critical issues in healthcare, and learn alongside the TKG team. In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we will be highlighting the findings from three of our summer intern’s research projects, focused on “Adopting Patient-Center Care.”

 The team looked at patient centered care from four distinct perspectives: Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health; Digital Health Trends, including Telehealth; Population Health Management; and how the use of big data has helped to reshape patient care over the last year.

 This year’s summer interns are Danielle Dror, from Tulane University, Prem Shah, from Temple University, and Ava Ritchie, from the University of Southern California. All three are students pursuing degrees in healthcare.

Advancing Patient-Centered Care – Part 1

Each summer, The Kinetix Group brings in several student interns, to explore the critical issues in healthcare, and learn alongside the TKG team. In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we will be highlighting the findings from three of our summer intern’s research projects, focused on “Adopting Patient-Center Care.”

 The team looked at patient centered care from four distinct perspectives: Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health; Digital Health Trends, including Telehealth; Population Health Management; and how the use of big data has helped to reshape patient care over the last year.

 This year’s summer interns are Danielle Dror, from Tulane University, Prem Shah, from Temple University, and Ava Ritchie, from the University of Southern California. All three are students pursuing degrees in healthcare.

TKGOncology.com

Oncology Thought Leaders Meeting Debrief – PART 3

A few weeks ago, we hosted our quarterly meeting of the Oncology Thought Leaders network, a part of TKG’s Networks of Excellence, where we discussed three critical issues in cancer center administration and care delivery. This is part 3 of a 3 Part discussion with our good friend, colleague, and Thought Leaders panel member, Ellen Feinstein. 

The Kinetix Group is dedicated to advancing the Quadruple Aim and to that end, we have organized several strategic, Networks of Excellence, to provide our team with insights, directional focus, and opportunities to collaborate on specific research and operational work projects. The Oncology Thought Leaders Network is a group of 16 senior level oncology executives from across the country, who bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the critical issues facing the delivery of high quality cancer care. This group meets virtually each quarter, as well as provides ad hoc input and support for various client projects, grant funded research, informational podcasts, and answering 

TKGOncology.com

Oncology Thought Leaders Meeting Debrief – PART 2

A few weeks ago, we hosted our quarterly meeting of the Oncology Thought Leaders network, a part of TKG’s Networks of Excellence, where we discussed three critical issues in cancer center administration and care delivery. This is part 2 of a 3 Part discussion with our good friend, colleague, and Thought Leaders panel member, Ellen Feinstein. 

The Kinetix Group is dedicated to advancing the Quadruple Aim and to that end, we have organized several strategic, Networks of Excellence, to provide our team with insights, directional focus, and opportunities to collaborate on specific research and operational work projects. The Oncology Thought Leaders Network is a group of 16 senior level oncology executives from across the country, who bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the critical issues facing the delivery of high quality cancer care. This group meets virtually each quarter, as well as provides ad hoc input and support for various client projects, grant funded research, informational podcasts, and answering 

TKGOncology.com

Oncology Thought Leaders Meeting Debrief – PART 1

A few weeks ago, we hosted our quarterly meeting of the Oncology Thought Leaders network, a part of TKG’s Networks of Excellence, where we discussed three critical issues in cancer center administration and care delivery. In this episode of TKG’s Healthcare Insights, we highlight the findings from our meeting and exploring some of the issues in a little more detail. Today’s special guest is a great friend, colleague, and Thought Leader panel member, Ellen Feinstein. Ellen is a longtime oncology and healthcare executive, and we highly value Ellen’s expertise in oncology administration, service line management, and healthcare leadership. 

The Kinetix Group is dedicated to advancing the Quadruple Aim and to that end, we have organized several strategic, Networks of Excellence, to provide our team with insights, directional focus, and opportunities to collaborate on specific research and operational work projects. The Oncology Thought Leaders Network is a group of 16 senior level oncology executives from across the country, who bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the critical issues facing the delivery of high quality cancer care. This group meets virtually each quarter, as well as provides ad hoc input and support for various client projects, grant funded research, informational podcasts, and answering 

TKGOncology.com

Supporting Precision Medicine with Genetic Testing
 PART 2: Exploring the Gaps in Patient Care

 In this episode, our guest, Meagan Farmer, a Master’s Trained Genetic Counselor, discusses several key gaps in patient care, including how well patients understand what they are consenting to when getting a test, the need for long term review of changes in medical knowledge that may impact a patients’ initial findings, how public opinion and consumerism are affecting the demand for personal genome profiling, and some of the identified disparities that need to be addressed.  Special thanks to our guest, Meagan Farmer, for sharing her time and expertise with us.
 
www.TKGOncology.com

Meagan B. Farmer MS, MBA, LCGC  
Genetic Clinical Operations Director
Meagan@MyGeneCounsel.com
MyGeneCounsel.com

Supporting Precision Medicine with Genetic Testing
PART 1: Understanding the Complexities of Genetic Testing

In this episode, we take a look at the challenges of managing complex cancer diagnoses and treatments with the help of genetic and genomic testing. Meagan Farmer is a Master's trained Genetic Counselor and provides an overview of the differences between genetic and genomic testing and what physicians are looking for when ordering a test. She also highlights some of the challenges with the massive amount of genetic data that comes from the testing and how that needs to be interpreted by physicians… and how overwhelming that can be.

www.TKGOncology.com
 
Meagan B. Farmer MS, MBA, LCGC  
Genetic Clinical Operations Director
Meagan@MyGeneCounsel.com
MyGeneCounsel.com

Cardio-Oncology: Addressing Cardio-Toxicities from Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatments have improved significantly over the last 40 years, with much improved outcomes for 5-year survival. In 1975, a cancer diagnosis came with a projected overall 5-year survival rate of less than a 50%. Today, the overall five-year survival rate is close to 70%, and for some disease groups, like breast cancer, the rate is much higher, especially if detected at an early stage. Cancer treatments  have the potential to be hard on other organs of the body and some  are especially hard on the heart and vascular systems. Many drug therapies, as well as radiation therapy, can have negative long term effects on the heart, if not managed correctly. Cardio-Oncologists bridge the gap between the oncologist and the cardiologist, to help prevent and/or manage the long term effects of cancer treatments on the heart. 

Part 2 of 3 - A Look at the Literature

In today's episode, we continue a 3 part series, exploring how increasing financial toxicity in cancer care is impacting patients’ adherence to self-administered oral medications. Part 2 explores some of the literature that describes the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis on an individual and their family.

 A transcript of this podcast, including all of the references, can be found at our website, TKGOncology.com, on our resources page.

Part 1 of 3 - The Burden of Treatment

In today's episode, we begin a 3 part series, exploring how increasing financial toxicity in cancer care is impacting patients’ adherence to self-administered oral medications. Part one defines the term Financial Toxicity and describes the "Total Burden of Treatment" as first reported by Carl May.

 A transcript of this podcast, including all of the references, can be found at our website, TKGOncology.com, on our resources page.

Part 2 - Dr. Marty Heslin talks about the New Normal for cancer care

Dr. Marty Heslin is the new Cancer Center Director for the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute in Mobile, Alabama. He is a Surgical Oncologist, and has spent the last 25 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, where he most recently served as the Chief of the Medical Staff, and Executive Vice Chair of Surgery. 

In PART 2 of our interview, Dr. Heslin shares his thoughts on how the delivery of cancer care was impacted by the challenges we all faced in 2020. In this episode, Dr. Heslin outlines his thoughts on the critical success factors for cancer centers as we move forward into the “new normal.” He also makes recommendations for how pharmaceutical companies can appropriately align with cancer centers around the shared values of improving patient outcomes. 

Part 1 - Dr. Marty Heslin talks about the New Normal for cancer care

Dr. Marty Heslin is the new Cancer Center Director for the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute in Mobile, Alabama. He is a Surgical Oncologist, and has spent the last 25 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, where he most recently served as the Chief of the Medical Staff, and Executive Vice Chair of Surgery. 

In this episode  we take a look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the delivery of cancer care. 2020 has been a transformative year in many different ways… not all bad… even amid the challenges there have been some tremendously positive innovations and changes that will help us improve patient care for the future. We are all scrambling to understand what the “New Normal” might look like. 

 In PART 1 of our interview, Dr. Heslin shares his thoughts on how the delivery of cancer care was impacted by the challenges we all faced in 2020. He speaks at length about how patients, hospitals, physicians, and clinical teams reacted to the pandemic and have demonstrated incredible resilience and fortitude throughout this last year.  He also shares his findings of what he refers to as a “market research tour” of the cancer centers and hospitals within his new service area, to hear directly from these key stakeholders, what is most important them in the delivery of cancer care and what they need from a clinical partner like the Mitchell Cancer Institute. 

Part 2 - Examining the Implications of Clinical Pathways on the Oncology Marketplace

In Part 1  of this conversation, Ron talked about the increasing use of clinical treatment pathways by payers and providers to influence formulary decision making. In Part 2, we continue this discussion with Ron sharing his insights coming from their firm’s syndicated reports, as well as his thoughts on how life science companies should be training their field teams to be navigating these complex issues.
Ron Schleif can be reached at RSchleif@OncologyRM.com 

Part 1 - Examining the Implications of Clinical Pathways on the Oncology Marketplace

In this episode, we start a two-part discussion with Ron Schleif, co-founder and Principle of Oncology Reimbursement Management, a consulting and research services firm that helps life sciences companies determine whether their oncology products are positioned for maximum success. We ask Ron about the increasing use of oncology clinical pathways by payers and providers. Ron shares insights from a presentation he made at last year's  CONFERA conference  entitled, “Examining the Implications of Clinical Pathways on the Oncology Marketplace." The focus of today's conversation is on clinical treatment pathways and the different models being used to reduce variation in care, enhance quality of care, and maximize clinical and economic outcomes.
Ron Schleif can be reached at RSchleif@OncologyRM.com 

Unlocking the Secrets for Success in CIN's, ACO's, and Value Based Care Initiatives.

In this episode, we interview one of The Kinetix Group’s business partners, Marc Miller, President and Managing Partner of Health Strategies, LLC, a firm that specializes in supporting Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs), Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and other population health initiatives.  Marc shares some of the secrets for success, as well as the top mistakes and wrong assumptions he has seen health systems and payers make, when managing these types of models. Marc can be reached at www.myhealthstrategies.org.

Challenges Facing State Medicaid Programs

Our special guest today is Dr. Len Fromer, Executive Medical Director for the The Kinetix Group. Dr. Fromer is a Family Physician who has done a lot of work with many state Medicaid programs, helping build infrastructure to support delivering higher quality health care to the most vulnerable populations. Dr. Fromer shares what he sees as some of the critical issues facing state Medicaid programs, as well as recommendations for how industry can better align with the needs and issues facing these programs.

Correction: In Dr. Fromer's introduction, we need to correct that he was a past diplomate of both the American Board of Family Practice and the National Board of Medical Examiners, and was a member of the advisory board of the state of California IMAP (Integrating Medicine and Public Health) program on allergy and asthma. 

Understanding Oral Parity Legislation

In today's episode, we explore state and federal Oral Parity Legislation. The Oral Parity legislation initiatives attempt to address the substantial out-of-pocket costs that patients are facing when their insurance covers medications under their pharmacy benefit plan as opposed to their major medical benefits. To date, a total of forty-three (43) states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of oral parity laws, intended to create parity in patient out-of-pocket costs between the major medical and pharmacy benefits for cancer medications. However, state laws apply only to state-regulated insurance plans that do not fall under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) laws, and there is wide variation in the laws that states do have in place.  As a result, only a small fraction of the affected patient population is addressed by state parity laws.  Federal legislation has been proposed multiple times over the last 12 years, but has not been passed into law.

Moving the Needle on Patient Satisfaction without  Adding to Provider Burnout

In today's episode, we explore patient experience, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact that is having on providers and clinical teams.  Our research on patient satisfaction, interestingly, revealed that many clinical teams don’t understand what patients really want when it comes to meeting their expectations. 

We also discuss the 2020 Medscape National Physician Burnout and Suicide Report, which documented a burnout rate of about 43% among physicians, and how this might affect the patient experience.

In our final segment, we talk about ways that business partners to clinical teams can help reduce some of the stresses facing providers.

Growth of Technology and its Impact on the Cost of Business - Key Findings

Cohosts Warren Smedley, Neal Peyser, and Sarah Pugh review and discuss key findings from TKG's December 8, 2020 Health System Executive Advisory Board on Health System Performance. The highest priority issue identified by our panel was the explosive growth of technology within the patient care setting, and how health systems have addressed the high cost of this technology. This episode focuses on the key insights discussed by our panel on this important topic.

TKG's Healthcare Insights: The purpose of this podcast series is to provide up-to-date healthcare insights from leading experts on healthcare operations, leadership, clinical protocols, and policies. We will be exploring the critical issues, challenges, and trends in healthcare, with a focus on achieving the Quadruple Aim to enhance patient experience, improve population health, reduce cost, and improve the work life of health care providers and staff.