Oncology Times - OncTimes Talk

Muzaffar H. Qazilbash, MD, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, discusses what he loves about hematology/oncology, including patient interactions and lifelong learning.

Find out what intrigued HemOnc Times Editorial Advisory Board Member Pamela Crilley, DO, Cancer Treatment Center of America, Philadelphia, about working in hematology/oncology and why she is passionate about the profession.

HemOnc Times Editorial Advisory Board Member Margaret ‘Margie’ Kasner, MD, MSCE, of Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health, Philadelphia, shares her passion for the field of hematology/oncology as well as one of her most memorable patient experiences.

Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Chief of the Lymphoma Service and Vice Chair of Medical Informatics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, tells OT how oncologists there are training a computer to understand and compare big data sets… Here’s why he says that work will help cancer patients at MSKCC and beyond.

David E. Weissman, MD, founded the Palliative Care Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, serves as Director of the Medical School Palliative Care Education Project, and is also Co-Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s initiative to help oncs meet revised standards of care (Improving Palliative Care—Outpatients [OPAL-OP]). Listen to what he told OT are the trends in palliative c...

Alen Voskanian, MD—Innovation Advisor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—describes the CMS project to test new payment and service delivery models. He shared with OT the key clinical implications for oncologists and the whole cancer care team.

Steven Wood, PhD, Healthgrades VP, explains the health care ratings company’s survey findings that reveal what cancer patients said were the top three most important factors in their treatment experiences.

Timothy Birdsall, ND, Chief Medical Information Officer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, tells OT what goes into making the more than 300 chemotherapy order sets there. Listen to why he says it’s not easy…

Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, MS—who’s co-chairing the unique initiative to bolster research for the rare disease—explains what’s on the agenda and who’s involved. Hear what he told OT about the $16-million, five-year plan.

Patricia A. Ganz, MD, explains why implementing standards for survivorship care is just as important as other patient education efforts on the cancer care trajectory. Hear what Ganz, coauthor of the IOM’s landmark Survivorship Report, told OT .

George W. Sledge, Jr., MD—a CancerLinQ Advisory Group member—explains how the rapid learning system will affect day-to-day oncology. Listen to what Sledge told OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Lowell E. Schnipper, MD, Chair of ASCO’s Cost of Care Taskforce and Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, explains which procedures made ASCO’s “Top Five” list of unnecessary oncology services—part of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation’s “Choosing Wisely” campaign. Hear his discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogg...

Richard L. Schilsky, MD—who’s led ASCO’s charge in urging Congress to take notice of the increasing scarcities of needed cancer drugs—discusses the three big ways the shortages affect the cancer care community. Hear what Schilsky, now ASCO’s Chief Medical Officer, told OT .

Thomas L. Whittaker, MD, Immediate Past President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, explains the implications of survey results that show most oncologists expect to be practicing in an oncology medical home or accountable care org within the next five years. Hear his discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Clifford A. Hudis, MD, Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and ASCO’s 2012-2013 President-Elect, explains why face-to-face networking and in-person meetings are important to oncology research, despite faster ways of information sharing. Hear what he told OT Assistant Editor Sarah DiGiulio.

William Breitbart, MD, Acting Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, explains how a cancer experience can change an individual’s sense of meaning and identity—and the psychotherapy intervention programs he developed. Hear his discussion with OT Assistant Editor Sarah DiGiulio.

Steven Schroeder, MD, Chairman of the newly formed National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, discusses the commission’s upcoming report on how physicians are paid and what pay incentives mean to patient care—and how oncologists can contribute their thoughts. Hear his chat with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Thomas J. Smith, MD, Professor of Oncology and Director of Palliative Care at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, explains the benefits of making palliative care part of standard oncology care for patients—and the research behind it. Hear Smith’s discussion with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher.

Steven Tucker, MD, a prostate cancer specialist, discusses “competitive mortality”—how understanding the other conditions in addition to cancer, like chronic disease, old age, and diabetes, that influence a patient’s risk of death improves care overall. Hear Tucker speaking with OT Contributing Writer and “Practice Matters” blogger Lola Butcher. And, read more about the new mortality-index website...

Reginald Williams II, an Avalere Health Director, discusses his organization’s analysis of how the oncology landscape may be the next topic of scrutiny for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Four topics may be ripe for national coverage decisions: lung and prostate cancer screenings, localized prostate cancer treatments, therapies to manage non-small-cell lung cancer, and pharmacogenomi...

Matt Brow, U.S. Oncology’s top public policy official, breaks down the details of the Medicare Shared Savings Program—the federal government’s final rule on making the accountable care organization model part of Medicare. Brow is the Vice President of Communications in Government and Relations & Public Policy for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, the parent company of U.S. Oncology.

Evangelos Terpos , speaking at the European Hematology Association 2010 Congress in Barcelona, discusses his group's encouraging findings based on 10 years of experience with thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib.

Speaking at the meeting in Barcelona, Gilles Salles of the University of Lyon discusses the results showing that patients who had achieved remissions after immunochemotherapy had only half the risk of recurrence if they also received rituximab maintenance therapy for two years compared with patients who did not.

Dr. Sekeres, Director of the Leukemia Program at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute and Chair of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, discusses his particular research interests of myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myelogenous leukemia, including the overlaps between the two in older adults, new opportunities to better define MDS epidemiologically in the US, and...

Dr. Govindan, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program at Washington University Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, elaborates on his article in the April 10 issue about the promise and excitement of the new advances in technology that are now making possible a “panoramic view of the rugged genomic landscape of the cancer cell,” transforming cancer research and treat...