May/June 2017

The cost of squamous cell cancer of the head and neck is driven primarily by the end-of-life phase. Treatment costs increased following the approval of cetuximab.

Given the need to provide patients with access to effective medications, it is likely that we will see more value-based contracts in the future; however, some key operational, communications, and regulatory barriers will need to be addressed first.

When making coverage decisions in oncology, payers find difficulties in translating evidence on treatment effect heterogeneity into coverage policies.

The pharmacy benefit has begun to attract greater attention due to the increase in medications that are available and their cost. It is time we refocus on the needs of the patient and push ourselves and the benefit managers to evolve into a single integrated management and distribution model.

Among a population of adult patients with type 2 diabetes, adherence to oral hypoglycemic medications is independently associated with poor glycemic control, even after adjusting for patient-level covariates.