COVID-19 Lessons Learned

Conference Correspondent

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt in the healthcare system for a long time, especially in cancer care. During the December 16 session of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) 10th Annual Summit, panelists discussed the obstacles they faced at the start of the pandemic, the milestones they reached along the way, and the lessons they have learned that they will take into the future.

The session was moderated by Michael Kolodziej, MD, Senior Advisor of ADVI Health, and featured Patricia Goldsmith, Chief Executive Officer of CancerCare; Vijay Trisal, MD, Chief Medical Officer of City of Hope; Linde Wilson, MBA, Chief Strategy Officer of Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategic Initiatives at Texas Oncology; Barry Fortner, PhD, Former President of Specialty Physician Services at AmerisourceBergen; and Bruce Feinberg, DO, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions.

Communication proved to be difficult at the beginning of the pandemic, and the panelists agreed that it was a challenge to stay on top of the dueling narratives and CDC recommendations while trying to funnel the correct information to employees and patients.

Telehealth has become a long-term solution, and the panelists said that they believe telemedicine will become “the norm” in healthcare. Dr Fortner said that he hopes to see the drug discovery process change as it did for the COVID-19 vaccine, creating a more efficient process for drug development.

The panelists also raised concerns about future burnout of those who are delivering care, the current delay in cancer screenings, and the long-term social and economic impact of vulnerable populations due to COVID-19.

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