California
Oncology
Weekly
"Where California Oncologists Go For Answers!"
A collaborative publication of the
Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.
and the
Association of Northern California Oncologists, Inc
.
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This Weekly's Hot Topics
- Deadline extended to October 30 for select practices in Los Angeles/Long Beach for ASCO-Komen Quality Initiative. Affiliate Association News
- The ACCC 36th National Oncology conference is October 30 - Nov. 1 in Orlando. Affiliate Association News
- ASH Annual meeting late-breaking abstract submission site will close October 30 Affiliate Association News
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- The deadline for the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4) Community Grants, Request for Applications
is December 6, 2019. C4 is initiating the eight annual community collaborative grant process for fiscal year 2020. Applicant organizations are encouraged to apply for grants that are in alignment with C4's mission to fulfill their mission by: implementing strategies to reduce disparities in CRC screening, diagnosis and treatment among underserved populations in California; increasing capacity for colorectal cancer screening; and advocating for CRC screenings to serve uninsured and underinsured populations. C4 has moved to a fully integrated online electronic submission process for the 2020 Community Grants program. C4 is seeking applications from organizations within California that promote the mission of improving the outcomes related to colorectal cancer in Californians. You can find more information by visiting the C4 website at http://www.cacoloncancer.org/.
Click
here
to access the RFA.
A webinar on the application process and Q&A session will be held on November 5 at 1 pm (PST).
Direct URL for application access:
https://webportalapp.com/sp/login/c4communitygrants2020
- The California Pharmacist Association will continue their PBM town halls throughout the state.
Tonight,
Tuesday, October 29, Dr. Clifford Young, President-elect, and Michelle Rivas, VP, Center for Advocacy, will speak about how pharmacies can join Californians for Access to Life-Saving Medicine to defeat the PBMs. This event is free to all. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and 1 CE credit will be provided to attendees. The PBM Town Hall will be at California Health Sciences University Room, 101-A from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. The address: 45. N. Clovis Ave., Clovis, CA 93612. CA. You can RSVP to the event by clicking here. You can view the flyer by clicking here.
Next Week:
CPhA will be in Los Angeles County with our first stop in San Gabriel Valley on Monday, November 4. Click here to RSVP.
-
On January 1, 2020, California will be the first state to offer financial aid to middle-class
people who make too much money to qualify for federal Affordable Care Act tax credits. Californians will once again owe a penalty if they are uninsured.
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- Noridian/JEMAC has the following updates on their website
Announcements:
New Medicare Card: Claim Reject Codes After January 1
Events:
Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test Payment System: Data Reporting Call-November 14
Publications:
Quality Payment Program: APMs Web-Based Training
* Provider Enrollment Status and Document Retrieval Available within NMP
* Medicare B News JE October 2019 Bulletin-Now Available
Forthcoming Noridian JEMAC meetings/webinars/workshops
* Open Enrollment Webinar (November 6)
For more information and to register visit:
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- "California's Disaster Response Tested As Wildfires Continue To Rage Alongside Evacuations, Power Outages." Are you prepared for the next emergency/disaster? MOASC's Oncology Patient Emergency Network (OPEN) is pleased to be working with Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian medical aid organization that works to bridge the gap between providers treating vulnerable patients and healthcare manufacturers. As a licensed wholesale distributor, donations of medications and medical supplies from Direct Relief are made available in two ways; either for ongoing support of providers treating underserved patients, or to equip and strengthen providers affected by emergencies. If you are interested in learning more, please visit
- Plan to attend the "MOASC Educational Series Program," November 14, 2019. The day will present: Bobbi Buell bringing the MOST UP-TO-DATE billing changes from across the board with southern California benchmarks and specific California healthplan issues;
Carynne Godfrey,
from Noridian, addressing specific Medicare changes; Dawn Holcombe presenting current USP800 (eff. 12/1/19) and USP797 news and further actions; Arthur Lurvey, MD, FACP, FACE, California Medicare Contractor, Noridian, Medical Director, speaking on new E&M codes for physicians' awareness coming in 2021; and Remedios Turner, from Medi-Cal, reviewing state initiatives of coverage. Presenters will also address new imaging rules; payment changes; classification of physician relationship to patient; off-label coverage, and more. Please RSVP no later than November 1, 2019 to
moasc@moasc.org
- MOASC members can register for the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, December 7-10, 2019, using your ASH username
moasc@moasc.org
and password. If someone else is registering for you, please provide them with your credentials to avoid delays. If you have forgotten your credentials, you may reset them on the ASH website using the "Forgot your
Username
or
Password
" links.
- The MOASC Oncology Summit, Saturday, March 14, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. The MOASC Oncology Summit continues to highlight cutting-edge topics presented by world-renowned physicians. You will not want to miss our 2020 program!
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- ANCO seeks nominations of members to stand for election to the Board of Directors. Nominate a colleague or yourself by send an e-mail (and an e-CV, if yourself) with the name and e-mail address of the nominee to director@anco.org.
- SAVE THE DATE for Best of SABCS San Francisco taking place in Berkeley on January 11. Best of SABCS is cosponsored by ANC and Encore Medical Education.
- Follow ANCO on Twitter at
@ANCO News
.
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ANCO has Moved!
Please note we have moved our offices. Our new mailing address is:
ANCO,
Post Office Box 2954,
Alameda, CA 94501. The ANCO telephone number remains the same--
415-472-3960 (Office); our e-mail addresses are
director@anco.org and
courtney@anco.org. And,
also note the ANCO's FAX number has been disabled.
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National News
- Due to increasing shortages, doctors may be forced to ration doses of vincristine, a critical treatment for leukemias, lymphomas, and brain tumors in adult and pediatric patients. Vincristine is currently on backorder, and shortages may continue until at least December. The impact this will have on adults and children with acute lymphocytic leukemia or other cancers is still unclear.
- Reminder:
Marketplace Open Enrollment starts this week, Friday, November 1 and lasts until December 15. Now is the time to visit HealthCare.gov to get ready for this year's Open Enrollment and review your 2020 health plan options. Communicate this with your patients to ensure they share their insurance changes with you.
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CMS News
- CMS is asking for input on using artificial intelligence and other advanced technology to process claims accurately, reduce administrative burdens on health care professionals and ensure Medicare program integrity. The request for information also seeks input on expanding EHR capabilities with AI and machine learning. Health IT Analytics
- Physicians have until December 31, 2019 to review and dispute their 2018 open payments data reported by CMS earlier this year. To learn more and review your data go to https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
- The 2019 MIPS performance year is in its final months and there are important steps participants can take to ensure successful data reporting. For participants utilizing EHR vendors to submit MIPS data, make time to check-in with those vendors to ensure they are on track to submit data during the submission period early next year. Dec. 31 is the last day MIPS participants can apply for a Promoting Interoperability hardship exception and an extreme and uncontrollable circumstances
application
. Those that qualify will receive re-weighting of one or more MIPS performance categories.
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Affiliate Association News
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- The deadline has been extended to October 30 for practices in the Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA area to apply to participate in ASCO-Komen Quality Initiative. ASCO and Susan G. Komen® are partnering to expand ASCO's quality improvement resources to 10 oncology practices in 11 specific urban centers serving high proportions of African American patients with breast cancer. As part of the Komen Foundation's African American Health Equity Activities will include QOPI®, the Quality Training Program, a Learning Collaborative, and a site assessment and report to improve cancer care delivery. QOPI Certification may also be a potential opportunity within the program. Complete an application today!
- The ACCC 36th National Oncology Conference is October 30 - Nov. 1 in Orlando. There's still time to register. From session presenters to Innovator Award winners, featured sessions and networking breaks, you'll find replicable, innovative strategies for the effective delivery of cancer care.
- To accommodate the results of high-quality research that was not available by the ASH annual meeting general abstract submission deadline, the late-breaking abstract submission site is NOW OPEN and will close October 30 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. Abstracts submitted during this time will undergo regular peer evaluation, and a maximum of six submissions will be accepted for presentation during the Late-Breaking Abstracts session in Orlando on Tuesday, December 10. The accepted abstracts will be published online in the meeting program on November 21 and will be part of Blood's online-only abstracts supplement in late November.
Submit your abstract.
- Register by November 1 to take advantage of the early-bird registration discount available for the international Highlights meetings at the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, December 7-10, 2019. MOASC members may use moasc@moasc.org as the username and password to register. If someone else is registering for you, please provide them with your credentials to avoid delays. If you have forgotten your credentials, you may reset them on the ASH website using the "Forgot Username or Password" links. Please note that SPARGO, Inc. is the only official housing and registration provider for the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition. For more information on housing and registration fees, please visit the ASH website. View the preliminary program online. Whether you are unable to attend the ASH annual meeting in December, or just want to learn more about the most notable abstracts and topics presented, you're invited to join your colleagues for an official Highlights of ASH® meeting. In each location, expert hematology faculty will provide analysis of emerging drug therapies, patient treatment strategies, and the clinical and translational research presented in December. The format of this program allows speakers to delve further into topics and provides attendees with more time to ask questions and network with colleagues Learn more.
-ASH is seeking comments on draft recommendations for guidelines for the prevention and treatment of VTE in patients with cancer. Comments will be accepted through November 15, 2019. Materials are available at:
hematology.org/Guidelines-Public-Comment
- The ACS Cancer Action Network, ACCC, ASCO, and ONS have partnered on a survey that will help cancer practices discuss clinical trial opportunities, facilitate screening patients, and refer them to suitable trials. Your input is critical at
www.surveymonkey.com/r/CancerCT2
.
- ASH will host a webinar entitled Leveraging New Technologies: The Ins & Outs of E-Consults and Telemedicine on November 21 at 5PM ET. For more information, please e-mail Kathrine Stark at kstark@hematology.org.
- Voting begins November 1 and closes on December 2, for the ASCO Board Election.
The Committee has selected 14 distinguished ASCO members as candidates for open leadership positions within the Society, including President-Elect, four seats on the Board, and two seats on the Nominating Committee. Eligible ASCO members can vote for their chosen leader beginning November 1. ANCO member Beverly S. Mitchell, MD, Stanford Cancer Center, is among the candidates for the Nominating Committee. Review the online candidate information at
- Research To Practice will hold their First Annual Oncology Nursing Retreat, November 8
- 10, 2019 at the Diplomat Beach Resort Hotel in Hollywood Beach, Florida. This educational meeting will focus on covering a plethora of common solid tumors & hematologic cancers with expertise from a stellar faculty panel of clinical investigators and nurse practitioners (33 in total). There is no fee for oncology nurses to participate.
For more information and to register:
http://www.researchtopractice.com/Meetings/CNERetreat2019
.
- ASH will host a webinar entitled Leveraging New Technologies: The Ins & Outs of E-Consults and Telemedicine on November 21 at 2PM PT. Registration will open soon; for more information please email Katherine Stark at kstark@hematology.org.
- Register now for Round 2 of the ASCO Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI), the oncologist-led, practice-based, quality assessment program for outpatient oncology clinics. Free for practices with at least one active ASCO member, practices can benchmark their quality of care against more than 150 quality measures. Round 2 data submission runs through December 3. Register at https://myqopi.asco.org/registration/login.aspx.
- NCCN has published updated guidelines at
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Industry News
- AstraZeneca drug Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy kept lung cancer from getting worse in newly diagnosed patients better than chemotherapy alone. A triple combination of Imfinzi, chemo, and a second immuno-oncology agent called tremelimumab also performed better than chemo alone.
read article
- AMGEN drug Mvasi has been assigned HCPCS code Q5107 (10mg) and that Kanjinti has been assigned HCPCS codes C9399/J3590.
- Pfizer Oncology announces that as of October 1, patient support for Pfizer products RETACRIT (epoetin alfa-epbx) and NIVESTYM (filgrastim-aafi) will transfer from Pfizer enCompass to Pfizer Oncology Together. Pfizer is committed to supporting patients throughout their treatment journey and making this a seamless transition for patient support. With Pfizer Oncology Together, patients prescribed a Pfizer Oncology medication get personalized support, including help identifying financial assistance options and connections to resources that may help with some of their day-to-day challenges. Please visit www.PfizerOncologyTogether.comfor more details or get in touch with us to learn moreabout including Pfizer Oncology Together on your website.
- Tesaro announces that the USFDA has approved Zejula for patients with advanced ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer treated with three or more prior chemotherapy regimens and whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)-positive status.
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MOASC CALENDAR
ASCO-Komen Quality Initiative for
Komen Foundation's African American Health Equity Initiative in the Los Angeles/Long Beach
area
application to participate ends O
ctober 30
.
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Best SABCS San Francisco (Berkeley, January 11, 2020)
(Stanford, April 2-3, 2020)
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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
Association of Northern California Oncologists
(ANCO) is an association of hematologists/oncologists dedicated to promoting high professional standards of cancer care by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, data, and knowledge.
The material contained in the
California Oncology Weekly
is intended as general information for MOASC and ANCO 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 or ANCO 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
ANCO: P.O. Box 2954, Alameda, CA 94501 | P (415) 472-3960 | www.anco.org
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