California Oncology Weekly
"Where California Oncologists Go For Answers!"
A publication of the
Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.
August 11, 2020
Click anywhere on picture to view the past 30 years
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- Democratic presumed presidential candidate, Joseph Biden chooses California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate.
- "Beyond Being Biosimilar," clinical webinar, Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:30pm MOASC News & Industry News
- Eligible providers may now submit application, through August 28, 2020, for possible funds. National News
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- AB 2164 provides that a federally qualified health center (FQHC) or rural health clinic (RHC) 'visit' includes an encounter between an FQHC or RHC patient and a health care provider using telehealth by synchronous interaction or asynchronous store and forward. The bill would also not preclude an FQHC or RHC from establishing a patient who is located within the FQHC or RHC's federal designated services area through synchronous interaction or asynchronous store and forward. Status: 8/1 - Passed Senate Committee on Health, re-referred to Committee on Appropriations.
- You are encouraged to contact your State Senator to urge them to support AB2100 (Wood) to fix Medi-Cal drug reimbursement. AB2100 (Wood) has unanimously passed the Assembly and is now headed to the Senate Health Committee. AB2100 will make the necessary changes to Medi-Cal's administration of the pharmacy benefit to its beneficiaries by moving the pharmacy benefit from Medi-Cal Managed Care and into fee-for-service (FFS) without causing undue harm or burden to patients. AB2100 also corrects the "below-acquisition cost" reimbursement issue caused by the newly adopted methodology mandated by the Affordable Care Act in 2016. MOASC is urging you to reach out to your elected Senator to vote YES on AB 2100.
- Upcoming Webinars from the California Medical Association
AUGUST 13, 2020 | 12 PM - 1:30 PM
This webinar series will include 12 presentations over the next six months, and will cover all aspects of implementing telehealth in a medical practice - selecting a platform, reimbursement rules, and patient interactions. The webinar series will have an emphasis on the use of telehealth in Medi-Cal. The first webinar in the series will provide a general overview of telehealth, including changes that have been implemented by federal and state regulators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Register TODAY
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- Upcoming Educational Events - AUGUST 2020: Providers are encouraged to attend the many educational events offered by Noridian. Read the complete update. The schedules of region-specific events, webinars and training are JEA, JEB, JAF, and JFB
- International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) and Other Coding Revisions to NCDs--January 2021 Update CR11905 informs providers about updated International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) conversions as well as coding updates specific to National Coverage Determinations (NCDs). Read the complete update
- The following questions and answers (Q&As) are cumulative from the Part B Ask the Contractor Teleconference (ACT) that were specific to Diagnostic Lab and X-Rays. Read the complete update
- Influenza Vaccine Payment Allowances - Annual Update for 2020-2021 Season - Revised
CR 11882 informs you of the availability of payment allowances for the seasonal influenza virus vaccines as updated on an annual basis, effective August 1 of each year. Read the complete update
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- Reminder - Clinical Webinar, Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:30pm-6:30pm-Pacific, "Beyond Being Biosimilar: A Closer Look at Extrapolation of Biosimilarity." Presented by Jim M. Koeller, RPH, this expert-led, peer-to-peer program will provide healthcare providers with an in-depth understanding of FDA evaluations of extrapolation after biosimilarity to the reference biologic is established. Please RSVP to Ilana Rosenblatt: (619) 838-3658 or ilana.rosenblatt@pfizer.com. This is being provided by MOASC Platinum Sponsor - Pfizer Oncology.
- MOASC has signed on to a letter to The President asking for the White House team to push the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to quickly review and release the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) proposed reforms to the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute regulations. Please click on the letters to read more. Letter to Trump Administration Final Stark-AKS
- SAVE-THE-DATE for MOASC's LunchTime Series Virtual Presentation of, "The 2021 Evaluation and Management Changes," Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 12:30pm-PDT. Presented by: Allison Hirschorn, Senior Coding and Reimbursement Specialist, ASCO. As of January 1, 2021, there will be significant changes to the office and outpatient Evaluation and Management (E&M) services for both new and established patients. Practices, physicians, and staff must be aware of the modifications to ensure a successful transition next year and avoid any disruption in reimbursement. Register with the MOASC Office at moasc@moasc.org.
JOB BOARD
MOASC Member City of Hope Seeks a Medical Oncologist to Join the Melanoma & Skin Cancer Care Team. The Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research at City of Hope National Medical Center is seeking an Associate Clinical Professor level Medical Oncologist, board-certified/eligible in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology with additional experience in all aspects of Melanoma and Skin Cancer, including treatment, prevention, research, and clinical trials. Click here for more details.
Interested candidates, please send your CV to: Jacqui Paris, Physician Recruiter, at MDRecruitment@coh.org
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- Congratulations to Drs. Bridget Keenan, Nancy Nguyen, and Mohana Roy, recipients of ANCO's Travel Awards for 2020. Dr. Keenan is a fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Nguyen is a fellow at University of California, Davis, and Dr. Roy is a fellow at Stanford University.
- The Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO) continues to monitor the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and is committed to providing the membership the best possible information with which to make clinical and personal well-being decisions. https://anco.org/anco-covid-19-updates-resources/
We encourage member practices to let ANCO know of COVID-19 resources they are depending upon and found useful and how they are responding to COVID-19 and serving their patients and staff at director@anco.org (Use Subject: COVID-19: RESPONSE). Thanks!
- ANCO physician members, their practice staff, and representatives from ANCO's corporate members must register to access password-protected content (e.g., The ANCO Directory, ANCO meeting materials) on the ANCO website www.anco.org.
- ANCO's ASCO20 Virtual Highlights will take place on Saturday, August 22nd. The meeting will summarize the major research and treatment advancements presented at this year's ASCO20 Virtual Meeting. The program will focus on breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck, and lung cancers as well as a panel on cancer care during the time of COVID-19. The faculty will place these developments in context as to their immediate clinical utility.
- Use ANCO's job board to post or search for employment opportunities at ANCO member practices.
- Follow ANCO on Twitter at @ANCO News.
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National News
- Starting August 10th, eligible providers may now submit their application for possible funds by August 28, 2020. This deadline aligns with the extended deadline for other eligible Phase 2 providers, such as Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, CHIP, and dental providers. On July 31, 2020, HHS announced that certain Medicare providers would be given another opportunity to receive additional Provider Relief Fund payments. These are providers who previously missed the June 3, 2020 deadline to apply for additional funding equal to 2 percent of their total patient care revenue from the $20 billion portion of the $50 billion Phase 1 General Distribution, including many Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and dental providers with low Medicare revenues. In addition, certain providers who experienced a change in ownership, making them previously ineligible for Phase 1 funding, will also be given an opportunity to apply for financial relief.
- S 4421 is stated as providing for temporary licensing reciprocity for telehealth and interstate health care treatment. This bill was recently introduced in the first week of August and does not yet have full text publicly available. Status: 8/4/20: Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
- The Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, part I: National cancer statistics has been released. Conclusions are, that although overall cancer death rates continue to decline, incidence rates are leveling off among males and are increasing slightly among females. These trends reflect population changes in cancer risk factors, screening test use, diagnostic practices, and treatment advances. Many cancers can be prevented or treated effectively if they are found early. Among males, cancer incidence rates were stable overall and among non-Hispanic white males but decreased in other racial/ethnic groups; rates increased for 5 of the 17 most common cancers, were stable for 7 cancers (including prostate), and decreased for 5 cancers (including lung and bronchus [lung] and colorectal). Among females, cancer incidence rates increased during 2012 to 2016 in all racial/ethnic groups, increasing on average 0.2% per year; rates increased for 8 of the 18 most common cancers (including breast), were stable for 6 cancers (including colorectal), and decreased for 4 cancers (including lung). Overall, cancer death rates decreased 1.5% on average per year during 2013 to 2017, decreasing 1.8% per year among males and 1.4% per year among females. During 2013 to 2017, cancer death rates decreased for all cancers combined among both males and females in each racial/ethnic group, for 11 of the 19 most common cancers among males (including lung and colorectal), and for 14 of the 20 most common cancers among females (including lung, colorectal, and breast). The largest declines in death rates were observed for melanoma of the skin (decreasing 6.1% per year among males and 6.3% among females) and lung (decreasing 4.8% per year among males and 3.7% among females). Population-based cancer incidence and mortality data can be used to inform efforts to decrease the cancer burden in the United States and regularly monitor progress toward goals.
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CMS News
- The Trump Administration today announced it is further transforming the nation's rural health care system by unleashing innovation through new funding opportunities that will increase access and improve quality. The Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model delivers on President Trump's Executive Order from last week on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access as well as the President's Medicare Executive Order and CMS's Rethinking Rural Health initiative. Collectively, the Administration aims to ensure individuals in rural America have access to high quality, affordable health care. For more information, please visit: https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/chart-model/
- CMS released a rule proposing changes to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The previously-announced MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) will be postponed and replaced by a new APM Performance Pathway (APP) reporting option in 2021 to align with the MVP framework. As part of the APP introduction, the agency will also be sun-setting the CMS Web Interface as a collection type for groups and virtual groups beginning with the 2021 performance period. The APP, like an MVP, would be composed of a fixed set of measures for each performance category. You can see specifics on pages 15 and 16 of the Fact Sheet.
- A report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found the CMS overpaid hospitals by more than $267 million because of lax oversight of Medicare patients discharged from the hospital within three days of admission. The OIG called on the CMS to conduct recovery audits to recoup overpayments from the past four years.
- CMS' Physicians, Nurses & Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum is next Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 11:00am-12:00pm Pacific Time. **Date is subject to change**. Please dial-in at least 15 minutes before call start time. Some of the topics to be discussed: FY 2021 Physicians Fee Schedule Final Rule Updates; Telehealth (and Other Services Involving Communications Technology); Care Management and Remote; Evaluation and Management Services and Related Valuations; Proposals Regarding Professional Scope of Practice and Related Issues; PFS Payment for Services of Teaching Physicians; Scope of Practice; Appropriate Use Criteria Announcement; Open Payments. To participate by phone: Dial: 1-888-455-1397 & Conference Passcode: 9375124. Persons participating by phone do not need to RSVP. Instant Replay: 1-800-759-3449; Conference ID: No Passcode Needed. The recording expires August 21, 2020, 8:59pm Pacific Time. For ODF schedule updates and E-Mailing List registration, visit our website at http://www.cms.gov/OpenDoorForums/.
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Affiliate Association News
- The American Society of Hematology is pleased to announce the pilot of the ASH Hematology Review Series. This free series is for fellows preparing to take the internal medicine hematology certification examination (to be offered in fall 2020 and spring 2021) or those desiring a comprehensive update. If you are preparing for the internal medicine hematology certification exams, you can't miss this valuable review series! The ASH Hematology Review Series will air two episodes every week through October 2020 leading up to the board exams.
- Register for the virtual ASH 62nd Annual Meeting, December 5-8. The on-line registration site for the virtual meeting will be available on August 31st. Please check the annual meeting webpage for the latest updates and answers to frequently asked questions.
- ASCO has opened their search for the position of Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. ASCO has exclusively retained Bridge Partners to conduct a search. Interested candidates please submit your CV and cover letter to: Debbie Tang and Toya Lawson by August 21, 2020. READ MORE>>>
- Conquer Cancer, seeks nominations for an Extraordinary Woman Mentor for their Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award. Please submit your nomination by October 30, 2020. READ MORE>>>
- The ASH Consultative Hematology Course (CHC) is an interactive, half-day program led by faculty familiar with consultative practice issues and commonly encountered clinical problems that require the expertise of a hematologist. Program participants engage in case-based presentations and discussions focusing on non-malignant hematology topics, such as thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, and aplastic anemia. The ASH Consultative Hematology Course (CHC) will be held twice in 2020. The first course will be a virtual experience on Thursday, September 10. View the program.
- The NCCN has publishes guideline updates. For the complete updated versions of the NCCN Guidelines, please visit NCCN.org.
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Industry News
- THIS THURSDAY - Clinical Webinar entitled, "Beyond Being Biosimilar: A Closer Look at Extrapolation of Biosimilarity," August 13, 2020 at 5:30pm-PDT. Presented by: Jim Koeller, RPH. Please RSVP to your Pfizer Representative. Ilana Rosenblatt: (619) 838-3658 or ilana.rosenblatt@pfizer.com; Ashlie Davis: (323) 992-7211 or ashlie.davis@pfizer.com; Marc Peart: marc.peart@pfizer.com.
- Merck announced about a recent change from CMS regarding ONTRUZANT®(trastuzumab-dttb), for injection, for intravenous use 21 mg/mL, which has a Q-code of Q5112. As of July 2020, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a Corrected Addendum B to update the non-payable status for ONTRUZANT (Q5112) to Status Indicator "K", which allows for Medicare reimbursement and is retroactive to April 15, 2020.
- Puma Biotechnology, Inc. cordially invites MOASC Members to their virtual program Protecting Patients with NERLYNX the only HER2-directedsmall molecule approved by the FDA in both eBC and mBC. These topics will be covered: Current unmet need in HER2+ Breast Cancer; Review of clinical outcomes; Tolerability management and support tools. Presented by: Francis Arena, MD, NYU Langone Arena Oncology, Lake Success, New York, on August 13, 2020 at 6:00pm-PDT. To register go to http://pumareg.tsgmeded.com/RegisterForEvent?LSC=51448.
- Incyte Corporation and MorphoSys US Inc. announces FDA approval of MONJUVI® (tafasitamab-cxix) injection for intravenous use in the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), in combination with lenalidomide, not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, and who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). This indication's accelerated approval is based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial(s). Please see Important Safety Information below and the full Prescribing Information for MONJUVI.¹ NDC # 73535-0208-01.
- Sanofi-Genzymecordially invites MOASC Members to their virtual program Spotlight on the Management of Hematologic Malignancies. Presented by: Hardeep Phull, MD, Hematologist/Oncologist,Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 06:30 PM-PDT. Learn about the indication, mechanism of action, and important Safety information for SARCLISA, gain in-depth knowledge on the clinical data in patients with RRMM. To register go to https://healthstarcom.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mxXltvXYSbaECcxVeAolhQ
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(Huntington Beach, July 23-25)
(August 22)
(Virtual, Various Dates)
(Davis, New Dates:
March 11-12, 2021)
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The Medical Oncology Association of Southern California (MOASC) is a leading oncology society that advances and protects the ability of cancer patients to obtain, and the ability of the oncology physicians to provide, optimal cancer care.
The material contained in the California Oncology Weekly is intended as general information for MOASC members. Because diagnostic, treatment, contracting, coding, and billing decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, any such information contained in the California Oncology Weekly may not apply in any given situation. Members are encouraged to contact their own consultants or advisors to obtain specific advice on matters relating to contracting, coding, and billing. The information contained in California Oncology Weekly should not be used as a substitute for such advice. This publication provides a summary of regulations affecting oncology and its business practices. Reading this newsletter does not substitute for understanding regulations and verifying the validity of every claim. This information is time-sensitive and is subject to change. MOASC accepts no liability for any statements or articles herein. CPT codes are owned and trademarked by the American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
MOASC: P.O. Box 161, Upland, CA 91785 | P (909) 985-9061 | F (909) 804-5006| www.moasc.org
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