COVID-19

David DeRemer, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, Clinical Associate Professor, University of Florida College of Pharmacy, shares insights about cancer drugs and COVID-19 in this interview that followed a segment of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) webinar series COVID-19 Recovery, the Road Ahead, in which he recently took part.

When oncology practices, ranging from small community clinics to larger hospital-based programs, were required to adapt their systems virtually overnight in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, almost no one anticipated that these would be long-term changes. However, as September approaches with no end in sight, it has become clear that oncologists will need to adapt revenue cycle management to long-term pandemic-related changes.

One of the most significant questions for payers in the COVID-19 health ecosystem is, “Will reimbursement parity for telehealth services continue?” Leading representatives of major managed care organizations debate the prospects.

From shuttered laboratory experiments and interrupted clinical trial enrollments to a “shadow curve” of delayed cancer diagnoses, comprehensive cancer centers and integrated delivery networks (IDNs) across the country continue to grapple with the fallout from COVID-19.

As many full-service hospitals and health systems remain overwhelmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, community cancer providers have been able to offer certain services to patients that may not be available at other institutions. How have these providers adapted to meet patients’ changing needs, and how are they keeping their doors open under unprecedented pressure?

Shortages, inventory management, and challenges of in-home care were just a few of the topics in AVBCC’s wide-ranging webinar on how COVID-19 is affecting oncology pharmacy.