October 14, 2020 at 12:00pm ET 

Some insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have created policies that require patients to obtain drugs from a source other than their cancer center, or face having to pay a higher out-of-pocket amount. These policies are often called “white bagging” or “brown bagging” depending on how they are implemented. Generally, doctors oppose these practices because the safety and integrity of the medication is not assured which can be dangerous to patients and staff.

Our guest was Barbara L. McAneny, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist/hematologist from Albuquerque, N.M., immediate past president of the American Medical Association (AMA), and a long serving Community Oncology Alliance (COA) board member. Dr. McAneny and Rose Gerber discussed the problems with white and brown bagging of cancer drugs.