In this episode of Oncology Unscripted, hosts Mark Liu and Deirdre Saulet speak with 2025 ACCC Innovator Award Winner Andrew Ambort, DO, a palliative care consulting physician at WellSpan Health. Dr. Ambort received the award for his team's innovation "Adopting Machine Learning-Enabled Decision Support to Improve Oncology End-of-Life Outcomes," which leveraged an existing module in the electronic health record to integrate a 12-month mortality risk into clinical workflows. He discusses the vision behind this initiative, plans for expansion into other specialties and service lines, and the human impact that early, integrated palliative care has had on WellSpan's patient community.

"[Caregivers] are so busy dealing with the chaos of end-of-life care...and then [they] get this bill at the end that surprises [them] too. It's not the experience we want for anyone, especially patients with cancer." – Mark Liu, MHA

"Unfortunately, the bills don't stop coming when people die...and it puts them right back in that [difficult] place. Being able to reduce that cost helps them grieve appropriately and get to a place where they [find acceptance] and prevent backsliding." – Andrew Ambort, DO

"The visibility is huge in terms of staying at the forefront of the oncology team's mind...[and reminding them] this is a resource we need to be leveraging and bringing into the fold." – Deirdre Saulet, PhD

Andrew Ambort, DO
Palliative Care Consulting Physician
WellSpan Health

To submit a topic of discussion to the podcast, please email mark.liu@mountsinai.org and deirdre.saulet@hellojasper.com.

Resources

• Precision With Purpose: Transforming Oncology Care Through Predictive Insights – Oncology Issues

• 2025 ACCC Innovator Award Winner: WellSpan Cancer Institute

• Spirituality and Cultural Humility: Core Components of Comprehensive Palliative Care

• Bringing Cancer Care Home: The Shaw at Home Model for Community-Based Oncology Palliative Care

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy is a promising option for patients with advanced melanoma, but logistical and referral challenges can be a barrier to care. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP, medical oncologist at Moffit Cancer Center and Research Institute, an authorized treatment center (ATC) for TIL cell therapy, and Raju Vaddepally, MD, hematologist-oncologist at Florida Cancer Specialists, a non-ATC, about the referral process. Both guests discuss the relationship between their cancer programs, offering actionable tips on how to streamline the identification and referral of melanoma patients for TIL therapy across institutions.

Guests:

Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP
Medical Oncologist
Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Tampa, FL

Raju Vaddepally, MD
Hematologist-Oncologist
Florida Cancer Specialists
Naples, FL

"It is extremely important that providers think about this earlier, because the huge issue that we have with TIL therapy is that we get a lot of patients referred but unfortunately, they are no longer fit to proceed with the therapy." - Lilit Karapetyan, MD, MS, FACP

"Cancer care can be so fragmented and always requires multidisciplinary input, whether it be within the town or going to an academic center, so we do have a specialized department in which they handle all these referrals." - Raju Vaddepally, MD

Resources

• ACCC TIL Therapy Resources

• ACCCBuzz Blog: Streamlining TIL Cell Therapy: ACCC Resources to Improve Referral Pathways and Academic–Community Coordination

• CANCER BUZZ: Developments in TIL Cell Therapy

Changing regulations are reshaping the practice of oncology. Issues such as prior authorization, shifting coverage policies, reporting mandates, and reimbursement certainty all affect how clinics must operate to provide the best care. In this episode, CANCER BUZZ speaks with 3 oncology professionals, representing different roles and regions of the country, about their experiences of how policy impacts care delivery. Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO, medical oncologist at Messino Cancer Centers, Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA, APP area manager at Texas Oncology, and Gretchen Van Dyck, financial counselor at Green Bay Oncology, connect the dots between legislative intents and clinical realities.

"When my patients see that their options for clinical trials are diminishing, or some of these clinical trials are shutting down, they lose hope." - Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO

"Being able to work with the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology has given me that behind-the-scenes background of if we don't speak up, our patients are going to suffer." Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA

Guests: Patricia Serna, MHS, PA-C, CGRA
APP Area Manager – APP Services
Texas Oncology
Dallas, TX

Gretchen Van Dyck
Financial Counselor II
Green Bay Oncology
Green Bay, WI

Martin Palmeri, MD, MBA, FASCO
Medical Oncologist
Messino Cancer Centers
Asheville, NC

This podcast is part of the Oncology State Societies (OSS) Advocacy Engagement program, made possible with support from Johnson & Johnson.

Resources:

• ACCC Advocacy Resources

• Access, Payment & Reimbursement Reform

• ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI)