Managed Care Cast

A clinical pharmacy leader outlines 8 interdependent domains institutions must master to build financially sustainable, patient-accessible CGT programs.

In this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ella Hohmann speaks with Douglas Marks, MD, breast medical oncologist and associate professor at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, about the role of lifestyle interventions in reducing breast cancer risk. Marks reviews the evidence behind dietary modification, physical activity, and alcohol reduction, and discusses why some of these strategies remain underutilized despite their strong risk-benefit profiles. The conversation also addresses critical gaps in the research, including the underrepresentation of minority populations in clinical and epidemiologic studies, and the socioeconomic barriers that limit real-world uptake of preventive interventions. Looking ahead, Marks shares his perspective on emerging opportunities from GLP-1 receptor agonists to wearable technology and AI-driven monitoring that could transform how clinicians support and track lifestyle change in their patients.

Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO, chief medical officer with the International Myeloma Foundation and professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, has spent more than 25 years advancing the treatment of multiple myeloma. In this episode, he breaks down how improved survival, evolving frailty assessments, and the rise of therapies like CAR T and bispecific antibodies are reshaping care for an aging population, and he highlights the growing emphasis on quality of life, caregiver support, and expanding clinical trial access.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) was joined by Yubin Park, PhD, and Michael Ellenbogen, MD, authors of research published in the March 2026 issue.

Because financial incentives may influence clinical decision-making, their study examined the relationship between industry payments and Medicare beneficiary spending.

As reflected in its title, “Industry Payments to Cardiologists Are Associated With Higher Medicare Spending,” their cross-sectional analysis of more than 26,000 cardiologists found that industry payments were associated with increased Medicare costs. Specifically, every $10,000 in payments was linked to an additional $14.10 in beneficiary spending.

In AJMC’s conversation with the authors, they discuss what inspired their research, the key findings, and how these results may inform policies and strategies to both better manage physician-industry relationships and control health care spending.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, I spoke with Dr. Michael Bernstein, an assistant professor in the department of diagnostic imaging at the Warren Alpert Medical School, and Brian Sheppard, a professor of law at Seton Hall Law who focuses on malpractice litigation, to discuss the broader implications of AI becoming more prevalent in health care; understanding its potential impact on legal outcomes and physician liability is essential for providers, risk managers, and policymakers alike.