Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

In the current oncology climate, the search for affordable access to cancer care is a growing concern because of the steep price of treatment advancements, inpatient, outpatient, and ED costs, and financial bankruptcy or mergers that limit the number of community cancer clinics. During the 2019 Community Oncology Alliance annual conference in Orlando, Florida, Lucio N. Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute addressed the complex challenges faced by community oncology clinics.

Eric Harris, DO, hematologist/oncologist, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, gives Targeted Oncology an insiders perspective on the current state of community oncology in Florida and some ways the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO) aids in improving patient care by helping physicians.

Oncology practices that adopt the OCM developed by the CMS face a tough road. The transformation requires changes in infrastructure encompassing administrative and care management service lines, as well as a change in philosophical outlook for clinicians and physician leadership; translational services for clinical interpretation; and internal reporting that is both costly and complex.

Before a community oncology practice considers getting involved in clinical trials research, there are many factorsto consider. Perhaps foremost is the fact that cancer clinical trials provide the evidence base for new advances in oncology. 

Just as CMS moves ahead with payment reforms designed to reduce the total cost of hospital care, results from a new study show that cancer treatment costs remain significantly lower at community oncology clinics compared with hospitals.

The FDA has given its approval to co-packaging of the oral medications ribociclib (Kisqali) and letrozole (Femara) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

Keeping patients on their oral oncology medications involves a combination of active management, record keeping, and coordination among healthcare workers, pharmacy professionals explained during a panel discussion.

The addition of the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib to frontline letrozole reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 40% in elderly patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

The FDA has approved the radioactive diagnostic imaging agent Lymphoseek injection to guide sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with cancer of the head and neck.