Kathy Oubre on What Oncology Practices Lacked During the Pandemic

During 7 months of combatting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, US health care practices, especially in oncology, had to completely modify how they could safely treat patients. They may have reduced waiting room capacity, barred caregivers from attending appointments with patients, increased telehealth usage, or reworked priorities and postponed decisions.

Some health care experts believe the pandemic will improve the overall uptake of biosimilars because it has made cost savings more important. Many patients face financial hardships as a result of the crisis.

We sat down with Kathy Oubre, chief operating officer at the Pontchartrain Cancer Center in Louisiana, president of the Louisiana Medical Group Management Association, and a member of the board of directors for the Community Oncology Alliance, to discuss what practices had to do without during the COVID-19 crisis and how biosimilar access has been affected.