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
.
The United States will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
E. Davis
Happy 4th of July!
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- City of Hope to build a new cancer hospital and research center in Orange County. California News
- Senate Finance Committee to limit drug price increases in Medicare. National News
- New HCPCS codes effective for dates of service on or after July 1, 2019. CMS News
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- MOASC Member, City of Hope will invest $1B into a new cancer hospital and research center to boost care for Orange County. The comprehensive cancer campus will include an outpatient center, a clinical research center with access to about 500 clinical trials, and the only specialty hospital in Orange County that will focus exclusively on treating and curing cancer, said Annette M. Walker, president of City of Hope, Orange County. Officials said last year that they would build a $200-million cancer treatment facility in Great Park Neighborhoods, but the project announced Tuesday reflects an expansion to include a hospital and a research facility conducting clinical trials of new drugs and devices. The decision to significantly adjust the scope of the project stemmed from the dire need for cancer care services in Orange County. About 3,200 cancer patients travel an average of 88 miles round-trip to the City of Hope cancer center in Duarte to get these services now, and the cancer incidence in the county is projected to increase by 18 percent over the next 10 years.
- The Anthem Blue Cross Provider News for California (July 2019) is now available online at
https://providernews.anthem.com/california
and includes Updates to AIM Advanced Imaging Clinical Appropriateness Guidelines; ICD-10-CM coding guidelines; and, provider education seminars, webinars, workshops, and more!
- A new law that updates the mandatory continuing medical education (CME) requirement for pain management took effect on January 1, 2019 and it creates an alternative method by which physicians can satisfy California's pain management CEM requirement. If you have already taken the required 12 hours of pain management CME, no further action is needed. Physicians can now fulfill the pain management CME requirement by completing a one-time CME course of 12 credit hours on the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients, including eight hours of mandatory training in buprenorphine treatment, as alternative to the mandatory 12 hours of CME on pain management and the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients. Learn more at
https://www.cmadocs.org/newsroom/news/view/ArticleID/28094
.
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Announcements:
MIPS Data Validation for Audit and Performance Years 2017 and 2018; FY2020 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Updates
Publications:
Quarterly Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Drug/Biological Code Changes-July 2019 Update-Revised
* PIK3CA Gene Tests Billing and Coding Guidelines-R2
* Ordered, Referred and Prescribed Education on Demand Tutorials Available
Forthcoming Noridian JEMAC meetings/webinars/workshops
* Reopenings Webinar (July 9)
* Telehealth/Telemedicine Enrollment Only Webinar (July 10)
* What's New in the Third Quarter 2019 Webinar (July 11)
* Understanding National and Local Coverage Determinations Webinar (July 23)
* Using the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) Webinar (July 23)
* Understanding the Basics of Medicare Secondary Payer (A/B) Webcast (July 24)
* Medicare Part A/B Revalidation Webinar (July 24)
* Computed Tomography of the Abdomen and Pelvis Webinar (July 31)
* Revocation, Caps and Appeals Webinar (August 7)
* Submitting Your Enrollment Online-Part 1 (I&A) Webinar (August 21)
* Drugs and Biologics-Outpatient Billing Webinar (September 10)
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- SAVE-THE-DATE for MOASC's Spotlight On Oncology, August 17, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Through a restricted grant from MOASC, selected oncology fellows and faculty from the University of California, Irvine (UCI), present the premier topics from their attendance at the 2019 Annual ASCO meeting. The presentations promote collegial discourse among colleagues along with networking in an informal setting. Contact the MOASC Office for more information at
moasc@moasc.org
.
- Renew your MOASC Membership TODAY! Continue your investment in your state association. MOASC will be able to continue to advance oncology in California, with your continued support and membership in MOASC. In 2018, MOASC successfully worked to create the California Cancer Caucus in Sacramento. YOU, the California oncologist, are the reason for MOASC's existence. MOASC advocates diligently insuring your ability to serve the California oncology community.
You can renew your membership in two ways:
Print the application
HERE
mail it along with your check made payable to: Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc., P.O. Box 161, Upland, CA 91785.
OR
We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with benefits you will not want to miss.
If you have any questions, please contact the MOASC Office at 909-985-9061 ext.1 or at
moasc@moasc.org
.
- MOASC Member, City of Hope CME presents: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Cancer Symposium on October 10-13, 2019 at the Waldorf Astoria, Las Vegas. This intensive program will provide participants with an enhanced ability to interpret and apply best treatment options into their individual cancer practices. For more information click HERE. To register go to:
https://cme.cityofhope.org/eventinfo_10946.html
.
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- SAVE THE DATE for the ANCO Annual Professional Education Meeting 2019 in Berkeley on Saturday, November 9. Watch for a meeting announcement in late July.
- SAVE THE DATE for the ANCO-UCSF Precision Oncology Symposium in San Francisco on Saturday, November 2. Watch for a meeting announcement in mid July.
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ANCO physician members, their practice staff, and representatives from ANCO's corporate members must register to access password protected content on the ANCO website (www.anco.org) at
- Follow
ANCO on Twitter
at
@ANCO News
.
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National News
- The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee are in bipartisan talks on a potentially sweeping deal to limit drug price increases in Medicare
, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the panel, is pushing to make drug companies pay back rebates to Medicare's prescription drug program, called Part D, if their prices rise faster than inflation. Another measure would force drug companies to pay money back to Medicare if they launch a new drug with a high price. The Hill
- Sometimes cited in this publication, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) does for the US what governments do in other countries: assess whether the costs of prescription drugs are fair based on their efficacy. While ICER is a watchdog on pharmaceutical prices, Patients Rising, a group mainly funded by pharmaceutical companies, is keeping an eye on whether ICER's decisions are fair.
WBUR-FM (Boston)
- Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some blood cancer patients. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) offers the following free resources to help your patients understand and navigate clinical trials.Work one-on-one with an LLS Clinical Trial Nurse Navigator who will help find clinical trials and personally assist the patient throughout the entire clinical trial process. This new booklet, Understanding Clinical Trials for Blood Cancers, provides valuable information about clinical trials for patients and their families:
What happens during a clinical trial; How new treatments are developed; How clinical trials help advance blood cancer treatment; How to evaluate the benefits and risks of a clinical trial; What questions to ask when deciding if a clinical trial is right for the patient; How LLS can help.
Click here to download the PDF or order a free copy.
- The UnitedHealthcare Network Bulletin (July 2019) is now available online at
https://www.uhcprovider.com/
and features articles on UnitedHealthecare Preferred Lab Network Launches in July; Medical Policy Updates; Changes in Advance Notification and Prior Authorization Requirements; Name Change and Code Update for Evaluation and Management (E/M) Policy, Professional; and, Update stock Requirements for Specialty Medical Injectable Drugs.
- Among the state prescription-drug laws taking effect this month, new statutes in Florida and Colorado will enable importation of prescription drugs, and Maryland officials can establish a medication-price review board. WEAR-TV (Pensacola, Fla.)
- Research using data, analytics and artificial intelligence in oncology is in the early stages, but studies presented at a recent conference show there is real-world progress to report, writes Dr. Nathan Levitan of IBM Watson Health. AI can help physicians manage large amounts of data and facilitate shared decision-making with patients, as well as process clinical trial eligibility criteria and match patients to trials, Levitan writes. FierceHealthcare
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Affiliate Association News
- The Director of FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence, Richard Pazdur, MD, joins ASCO CEO Clifford A. Hudis, MD, in the latest ASCO in Action podcast to discuss FDA's new program to make it easier for physicians to navigate the complicated expanded access process. Listen to the postcast at http://action.ascou.libsynpro.com
- ASCO's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) is an oncologist-led, practice-based quality assessment program for outpatient oncology clinics. Round 2 registration is now open and data submission will run from July 1 to December 3, 2019. Register for QOP at https://myqopi.asco.org/registration/login.aspx.
- The ASCO Oncology Practice Conference, September 5, in San Diego will focus on the business of cancer care addressing the needs of practice administration and operations, with timely and practice strategies for the challenges faced by all those involved in the business of cancer care. Learn more and register at https://meetings.asco.org/opc/register.
- The ASCO Quality Care Symposium, September 6-7 in San Diego, encompasses the latest strategies and methods for quantification of patient experience, provider efficiency, clinical outcomes, and quality and safety in the cancer care field. The Symposium will include a variety of sessions that will cover the latest science in precision and personalized medicine. This meeting will bring leaders in quality improvement science together to participate in stimulating conversation with opportunities for networking among physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and others.
ASCO Quality Care Symposium.
- Join ASH on September 6-7, 2019, at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park for the 2019 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies to gain knowledge that can help you make an immediate impact in your practice. Top experts in the field, will present comprehensive clinical content, the latest clinical research, and opportunities to interact with colleagues in an intimate, small group setting with no competing sessions. The program content will be structured as "How I Treat" presentations, which will highlight each speaker's evidence-based treatment approaches, present cutting-edge scientific data that can be translated into new strategies for diagnosis and treatment, and address what to do in cases where there is no data. For more details, or to register, please visit the ASH Website.
- Present your research at the world's premier hematology event, the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida. The best new scientific research in all areas of hematology will be presented. Researchers are encouraged to submit an abstract by August 1, 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.
- Register TODAY, for ASCO's Advocacy Summit, September 25 & 26, 2019 in Washington, D.C. this two-day conference will feature guest speakers and network opportunities that will empower you to advocate for policies that support cancer research, your practice and highest quality patient care in meetings with your lawmakers.
- Join the Inland Empire Oncology Nursing Society fundraiser event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night, on October 26, 2019 at the Auto Club Speedway of California in Fontana, money raised through Light The Night allows The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to fund treatments for patients who are suffering from all forms of blood cancers. In 2018, LLS helped advance 19 of 21 approved blood cancer therapies. Beating cancer is in our blood. Donate NOW!
adult cancer pain (V3.2019), chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (V5.2019), esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancers (V2.2019), gastric cancer (V2.2019), non-small cell lung cancer (V5.2019), ovarian cancer (V1.2019), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (V2.2019), prostate cancer (V2.2019).
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- Janssen Oncology informs ANCO and MOASC that the US FDA has approved Darzalex in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant.
- Pfizer Oncology informs ANCO and MOASC that the US FDA has approved Zirabev, a biosimilar to Avastin for the treatment fo five types of cancer, including colorectal and lung cancers.
-
AstraZenec
a reported positive survival data for its immuno-oncology agent Imfinzi in first-line small cell lung cancer. In this setting, it trails only Roche's Tecentriq, which won Food and Drug Administration approval in March. To read more click HERE.
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MOASC CALENDAR
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(NCCN, San Francisco, September 27)
(NCCN, San Francisco, September 27-28)
ANCO Annual Professional Education Meeting 2019 (Berkeley, October 17)
ANCO-UCSF Precision Oncology Symposium (San Francisco, November 2)
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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 ANCO and 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 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 151109, San Rafael, CA 94915 | P (415) 472-3960 | F (415) 472-3961 | www.anco.org
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