Financial Impact of Medically Integrated Pharmacy Interventions on Oral Oncolytic Prescriptions.

PURPOSE: As the utilization of oral cancer medications rises, it is vital that cancer centers track costs associated with these expensive medications. This research seeks to report the cost interventions associated with medically integrated pharmacies (MIPs) and mail-order pharmacies. METHODS: Data collection occurred from October 2016 through May 2021. Volunteers input data from their oncology practice into NCODA's Cost Avoidance and Waste Tracker tool, an innovative easy-to use tool that allows practices to document any cost saving interventions or waste occurrences. RESULTS: The Cost Avoidance and Waste Tracker tool was used by nearly 50 MIPs across the country. Specifically, 26 practices submitted cost avoidance data, and 37 practices tracked waste associated with oral oncolytic therapy. Among the 26 practices, 677 cost avoidance events led to a total cost avoidance of $7,057,053.73 US dollars (USD). The net cost avoidance for the MIP's was $6,510,971.28 USD compared with $546,082.45 USD for the external mail-order pharmacies. Among the 37 practices that reported waste, 768 events were reported, leading to a total drug waste of $11,275,642.16 USD. Of that, $8,935,612.15 USD was attributed waste from external mail-order pharmacies, whereas $2,429,592.01 USD worth of drug waste was reported from MIPs. CONCLUSION: Medically integrated dispensing of oral oncolytic therapies allows for increased pharmacy oversight, leading to increased cost avoidance and reduced waste for patients and third-party payers. Although these data are difficult to compare because of the complexity of workflows at different dispensing sites, the real-world financial differences between medically integrated dispensing and mail-order pharmacies appear to be significant.

Front-line use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia: Practice considerations.

The development of BCR-ABL-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors has transformed chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP CML) from a disease with a terminal prognosis to a treatable chronic illness. Long-term treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors means that patients have to be clinically managed and monitored over extended periods of time, thus a patient-centered, medically integrated, and multidisciplinary oncology healthcare team is required to support patients through their journey. Pharmacists work with patients, physicians, and the wider support team to select the optimum therapy plan for a given patient. These decisions are based on risk factors, comorbidities, concomitant medications, and personal circumstances and pharmacists advise on the efficacy and safety of different treatment options. Additionally, pharmacists are a key point-of-contact and resource for monitoring patient response to treatment, identifying and managing adverse events and drug-drug interactions, any subsequent therapy plan modifications, and, potentially, treatment-free remission. Pharmacists also assist with patient education, medication adherence, and financial discussions with patients throughout the long course of the disease. This review provides an overview of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors, discusses the role of the medically integrated pharmacy team, and suggests strategies that pharmacists can use in patient management and clinical decision-making to optimize the treatment of CP CML.

Patient-Centered Standards for Medically Integrated Dispensing: ASCO/NCODA Standards.

PURPOSE: To provide standards for medically integrated dispensing of oral anticancer drugs and supportive care medications. METHODS: An Expert Panel was formed, and a systematic review of the literature on patient-centered best practices for the delivery of oral anticancer and supportive care drugs was performed to April 2019 using PubMed and Google Scholar. Available patient-centered standards, including one previously developed by the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), were considered for endorsement. Public comments were solicited and considered in preparation of the final manuscript. RESULTS: A high-quality systematic review that was current to May 2016 was adopted into the evidence base. Five additional primary studies of multifaceted interventions met the inclusion criteria. These studies generally included a multicomponent intervention, often led by an oncology pharmacist, and also included patient education and regular follow-up and monitoring. These interventions resulted in significant improvements to patient quality and safety and demonstrated improvements in adherence and other patient outcomes. CONCLUSION: The findings of the systematic review were consistent with the NCODA patient-centered standards for patient relationships and education, adherence, safety, collection of data, documentation, and other areas. NCODA standards were adopted and used as basis for these American Society of Clinical Oncology/NCODA standards. Additional information is available at www.asco.org/mid-standards.

Collaboration Leads to Oral Chemotherapy Education.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) partnered together to create a resource for providers, and patients and caregivers on oral chemotherapy agents. The patient education sheets include information on medication names and pronunciation, approved uses, dose and schedule, drug and food interactions, the best practice guidelines for safe handling, administration, and disposal of oral chemotherapy agenzts by patients and caregivers; management strategies for the most common side effects; and pregnancy, sexual activity, and contraception information. Each sheet also has an area to list from which pharmacy the patient will receive the medication. The document and the website also provide the link to the individual product website, prescribing information, and product resources, if available.