Articles of Interest:
Caremark faces a new probe from Illinois state regulators; Broader probe involving Attorneys General from 23 states.
MVI describes any method by insurance companies that requires the patient to obtain injectable drugs from a source other than their physician's office and/or cancer center.
- Brown Bagging: Patient gets drug directly from vendor/pharmacy to bring to the clinic to be given by clinic staff.
- Mail Order: The clinic must order the drug then it can be given. Any one clinic may have to order from multiple vendors.
- Drug Replacement: Vendor replaces the drug in physician's inventory.
So, what's the problem with MVI? And...Why should you be concerned?
Drug Safety:
Your physician can NO longer control the source and integrity of your drugs.
Your drugs are at RISK for:
- Dilution
- Tampering
- Counterfeit
- Storage-tempature change
Quality:
- Interferes with the physician/patient relationship
- Limits the possibilities for immediate patient care
- Inability to change patient's treatment the same day
35% of oncology orders change the day of treatment
Additional patient visits
Additional time lost from work or away from family
Unnecessary delay in treatment
What are your physicians at Texas Oncology doing to protect you?
We have adopted the following policy:
Texas Oncology physicians oppose the actions of payers and of pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies, which require patients to acquire injectable drugs outside of the practice and bring those drugs into the practice for administration by Texas Oncology physicians. Such actions pose significant risks to our patients and liability to our physicians with respect to the product integrity, product labeling and accuracy, and the conditions to which those drugs may be exposed which cannot be known by our physicians.
Texas Oncology has taken steps to assure that the injectable drugs that you receive in our cancer centers and clinics are closely controlled in a closed chain distribution system, which means that the drug is being shipped direct from the manufacturer to a Texas Oncology facility.