COA Patient Advocacy Network
September 2019 News Bulletin
CPAN Chapters in Action: The Lone Star State
United by their interest in preserving access to community cancer care, more than 50 cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, nurses, oncologists, and other community members gathered in Fort Worth in July to launch the first official Texas Oncology CPAN Chapter . Specializing in hematology, pediatric, and radiation oncology, Texas Oncology operates 210 cancer treatment centers statewide. 

Experts from CPAN shared resources and tips for becoming effective cancer care advocates, locally and nationally. Chapter members and advocates discussed how to raise important issues like cancer clinic consolidation, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and the 340B drug pricing program in conversations with their local lawmakers.

 
Also in Texas, The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders held a CPAN chapter event in July to educate advocates about the impact of biosimilars and PBMs on their cancer care. Biosimilars are less costly imitations of drugs known as biologics, which are used to treat a range of diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and anemia. Biosimilars have potential advantages in the treatment of cancer, as they introduce competition into the drug development process, which can lead to cost savings for patients and spur the development of new treatments.
Chapter Spotlight: Fort Wayne Medical Oncology Hematology
Community oncology practices across the country treat the majority of cancer patients and are critical components of the community. In Indiana, CPAN chapter member Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology provides patients with opportunities to get engaged in local advocacy. As Advocates for the Care , chapter members use storytelling to show elected officials how bad policy impacts real patients, in addition to initiating media interviews, and hosting educational events at their practice.

Because of community oncology, Fort Wayne advocates like Nicole, a mother of five, know that cancer does not have to be a death sentence. She is grateful everyday for the care she received at her community oncology practice. Nicole says she joined the Fort Wayne chapter to preserve local community oncology to ensure that others in her community have the same options she had for local, personalized, compassionate care.

Policymakers Learn: What it's Like to "Sit in My Chair"
Advocates, what’s the most impactful way to help policymakers understand the value of community cancer care? Invite them to Sit in My Chair!  
 
Sit in My Chair is a signature COA event that allows policymakers to experience a “day in the life” of a community oncology practice, understand what it’s like to receive a diagnosis, and sit in the chemotherapy chair to better understand the experience of cancer patients. 
 
In July and August, five CPAN chapters rose to COA’s challenge to host Sit in My Chair events while members of Congress were home in their districts. Advocates spoke with their representatives about how PBMs intrude into patient care plans, causing potentially life-threatening and unnecessary delays in treatment. 

COA provides a planning toolkit to make hosting a Sit in My Chair event easy to execute. To host your own event, contact Rose Gerber .
Rob Fleege, Director of Outreach and Veterans Liaison for Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, sits in the chemotherapy chair at an event sponsored by the Florida Cancer Specialists CPAN chapter in August.
On behalf of advocates across the country, we thank the CPAN Chapter Advocacy Leaders and Liaisons:
  • Dayton Physicians Network
  • Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology
  • Hematology Oncology Associates of Central NY
  • Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute
Free Advocacy Educational Resources: Take Advantage!
  1. ACT NOW: Help policymakers get a real-world look at what it takes to deliver community cancer care. Download the Sit In My Chair toolkit.
  2. GET INFORMED: Learn how PBMs continue to hurt patients with cancer by delaying or denying care. Watch Derek’s PBM horror story.
  3. EDUCATE OTHERS: Talk to your state and federal lawmakers about how PBMs put patients at risk. Urge Congress to #StopPBMAbuses at www.PBMAbuses.org
 
For more information about CPAN's extensive library of educational and advocacy resources for your practice, community, or chapter, please contact Tracey Banks.
Cancer Policy News: PBMs in the Spotlight
Fresno Bee: Cancer patients are being denied drugs, even with doctor prescriptions and good insurance. "That means pharmacy benefit managers have the authority to trump a doctor’s medical judgment without seeing patients or knowing their full medical history, and without accountability for the consequences of what happens to sick people."

Forbes: PBMs: Driving Up Costs and Lowering Quality Care in America. "As drug prices sky rocket, the role of PBMs in health care has been debated and analyzed."

Morning Consult: How Medical Middlemen Delay and Deny Cancer Treatments to Americans. "Democratic presidential candidates have devoted plenty of debate time to health care and have pointed fingers at a familiar bogeyman: the all-powerful pharmaceutical industry."