McBride Assumes ACCC President Mantle for 2019

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, began his term as the 2019—2020 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) on March 22, 2019, during the 45th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit. He succeeds Tom A. Gallo, MS, MDA, who served as president of ACCC for the 2018-2019 term.

During his presidency, McBride, clinical coordinator of hematology/oncology at The University of Arizona Cancer Center,plans to focus on the theme ofCollaborate. Educate. Compensate: A Prescription for Sustainable Cancer Care Delivery. He aims to reduce the current organizational and professional siloes hindering innovative collaborations that could provide high-quality oncology services to the patient.

“As our options for treating cancers grow, the cancer care team continues to innovate and evolve,” said McBride in a statement. “It’s clear that to deliver 21st century cancer care, breaking down siloes is not only essential but salient for the future of patient care.”

Quality patient-focused cancer care stands on 3 pillars: collaboration, education, and compensation, according to ACCC. All 3 are necessary to provide sustainable cancer care to the patient. During McBride’s term, ACCC will work to further define educational resources for the community to assist in growing a supportive multidisciplinary team.

Looking toward the theme of compensation, ACCC suggests that its members should be compensated for the delivery of all services necessary to the patient to ensure the sustainability of cancer care.

“Discussing compensation is 1 part of my term, to actually get a foundation of what’s being addressed there, and to also develop multiple layers in terms of the understanding of the cost of cancer care for these patients,” McBride said in an interview withTargeted Oncology. “As we move into new payment models, [we need a] new understanding of how we will receive reimbursement for therapies and treatments, and we have to think about the overall picture or number of participants who play a role for this patient.”

McBride has also played an active role in the regulation of biosimilars in the US marketplace; he plans to provide a better understanding of these innovative drugs that can be useful in cutting down drug cost for the patient.

“Looking at biosimilars to reduce drug cost and maximize patient access is 1 of the key points of innovation,” McBride toldTargeted. By helping ACCC members to better understand these drugs, he believes it will be easier to get these drugs to patients. “We will actually help patients continue on therapy, but we will also maximize access for patients on treatments as well.”