To Rally Voters, Democrats Focus on Health Care as Their Closing Argument
Although many states are already collecting early votes, Tuesday, November 6, 2018, will tell the full tale of the midterm elections. Many Democrats are emphasizing their focus on health care in the final days and hours before the election. By most measurable public opinion poll, health care remains the most important domestic issue for voters.
On November 2, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lorlatinib (Lorbrena) for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has progressed on crizotinib and at least one other ALK inhibitor for metastatic disease or whose disease has progressed on alectinib or ceritinib as the first ALK inhibitor therapy for metastatic disease.
On September 12, 2018, I had the honor of attending the Nursing Community Coalition’s (NCC’s) 10th Anniversary Celebration as an ONS representative, joining members of ONS’s health policy staff. NCC is a 61-member coalition, working to further nursing education, training, and support through united advocacy efforts.
In 2017, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Society of Clinical Oncology released new antiemetic guidelines that recommended adding an NK1 receptor antagonist (RA) to standard 5-hydroxytryptamine RA plus dexamethasone upfront for patients receiving carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) ≥ 4.
Asparaginase is part of treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and is associated with improved outcomes in those who complete this course of treatment. Despite the necessity of PEG-asparaginase, 20%–30% of patients can experience toxicities.
Emergency department visits by patients with cancer can be unnecessary, costly, and potentially dangerous. Most symptom management concerns can be safely and quickly handled in the outpatient setting, but provider access can be a barrier.
Advance care planning (ACP) involves communication with the patient, his or her family and/or caregivers, and the healthcare team to plan for the future and promote shared decision making that incorporates patient preferences. Guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommend that ACP discussions take place within three months of a diagnosis of incurable cancer; however, ACP conversations may not occur because patients, family members, and providers each wait for the other to initiate the discussion.
Budget season on Capitol Hill is always a complicated time. It’s a tug-of-war between funding priorities and fiscal responsibility. Often, budget debates end up in a stalemate and the government shuts down. However, for the first time in 22 years, the president signed the fiscal year 2019 Labor Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations package before the September 30 budget deadline.
Developed to combat the nation’s opioid crisis, a comprehensive opioid addiction bill has finally made its way to the president’s desk. On October 25, 2018, President Trump signed the opioid package into law. The new law allots more than $8 billion to address addiction, drug trafficking, and recovery issues.
Palliative care is a necessary inclusion in the care of all people with a serious illness, no matter the diagnosis or setting, and it’s the responsibility all healthcare providers, including specialty providers in oncology. The National Consensus Project (NCP) expanded on these two key tenets in its new release of the fourth edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. ONS is one of 80 organizations endorsing the new guidelines.