Community Oncology at a Crossroads: Navigating Policy, Progress, and Practice
Season 7, Episode 7, Feb 18, 10:00 AM
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In this episode of Treating Together, host Pallav Mehta, MD, medical oncologist and director of Integrative Oncology at Cooper University Health Care and medical director of Reimagine Care, is joined by Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, oncologist and executive vice president at Texas Oncology. Patt also serves as the president of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA). Their discussion focuses on the rapid transformation of community oncology and the growing pressures shaping its future.
Themes and Key Discussion Points
The episode focuses on the central role of community oncology in preserving local, quality care. Highlights include:
- The Evolution of Community Oncology: Drs Mehta and Patt explore how community oncology has changed over the past 2 decades from largely independent practices to consolidated health systems and clinically integrated networks. Financial forces, including the 340B program and broader reimbursement reform, have significantly influenced consolidation trends.
- Policy as a Driving Force: Dr Patt explores how legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and evolving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement models may impact drug payment, cash flow, and practice viability.
- The Explosion of Targeted and Advanced Therapies: Oncology has entered an era of unprecedented therapeutic expansion. With this progress comes more complexity: longer treatment durations, higher toxicity management demands, and logistical hurdles of administration.
- Digital Transformation and AI Integration: With the accelerating role of digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) in practice, practices face both opportunity and implementation challenges.
- Workforce and Rural Access Challenges: The conversation addresses mounting physician and nursing shortages, burnout, and the sustainability of rural cancer care, requiring a reimagining of policy, workflow efficiency, and staffing models.
Find a full transcript of the podcast: https://www.targetedonc.com/view/community-oncology-at-a-crossroads-navigating-policy-progress-and-practice