July 27, 2021
This Weekly's Hot Topics
  • Tomorrow! July 28, 5:30pm, Clinical Peer to Peer Discussion on Lung Cancer MOASC News/MOASC Programs
 
  • Tomorrow! July 28, 7:00pm, a virtual Roundtable on B-Cell Lymphoma: Third-Line Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL MOASC News/MOASC Programs
 
  • Tomorrow! July 28, 2:30 pm, the next “Save MICRA” virtual Community Ambassador training California  News
 
  • July 29-31, Physicians Education Resource’s 22nd Annual International Lung Cancer Congress MOASC News/MOASC Programs
 
  • July 31 is the deadline to help independent physicians succeed in value-based care! California  News
MOASC News
MOASC Programs - Save the Dates - All Times are Pacific
Tomorrow! July 28, Clinical Peer to Peer Discussion on Lung Cancer, 5:30pm – 7:00pm. MOASC Secretary, Joshua Mansour, M.D., City of Hope will host moderator Hatim Husain, M.D., UCSD in a panel discussion of case presentations and discussion of various treatment options with; Munveer Bhangoo, M.D., Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center; Jonathan Goldman, M.D., UCLA Hematology & Oncology.
The purpose of this meeting is multifaceted; to provide ongoing clinical education through community outreach, discuss new treatment options, side effect management and clinical trials. This will be a great opportunity to learn from key opinion leaders and network with colleagues. 
Benefits of Attending:
Submit questions and cases for discussion with KOL’s in the field;
Hear the latest clinical trial data and apply it to your patients; and
Consider real-world scenarios and how to mitigate barriers to treatment.
Target Audience:
This educational activity is directed toward medical oncologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and other professionals with an interest in hematology/oncology.
Registration is required. This event is complementary
Tomorrow! July 28, 7:00-8:30pm, Elizabeth Brem, MD, UCI, will moderate a virtual Roundtable Meeting on B-Cell Lymphoma: Third-Line Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL. This program is for oncologists treating B-Cell Lymphoma: Third-Line Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL. The virtual Case-Based Roundtable Meeting is a collaborative, small-group meeting designed around case-based clinical profiles and peer-dialogue led by an expert physician. This session offers practicing oncologists the perfect opportunity to sharpen their skills and expertise in treatment strategies. Attendees are paid $500 of compensation by Healthcare Research Analytics® for their attendance, participation & completion of the post-event HRA survey. Meeting specifics are outlined below, for reference.
July 29-31, Physicians Education Resource (PER) cordially invites all MOASC members to their 22nd Annual International Lung Cancer Congress (ILC), in Huntington Beach. The ILC has extended a discounted registration code for all MOASC members.
August 2, Rachel Salit, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, will moderate a virtual Roundtable Meeting on GVHD: Acute & Chronic. This program is for oncologists treating GVHD: Acute and Chronic. The virtual Roundtable Meeting is a collaborative, small-group meeting designed around case-based clinical profiles and peer-dialogue led by an expert physician. This session offers practicing oncologists the perfect opportunity to sharpen their skills and expertise in treatment strategies. Attendees are paid $500 of compensation by Healthcare Research Analytics® for their attendance, participation & completion of the post-event HRA survey. Meeting specifics are outlined below, for reference.
August 11, 5:30-6:30 PDT, MOASC will host, a live Zoom meeting on Innovative Immunotherapy in Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma. Evolving Science, Key Clinical Evidence, and Implications for Multidisciplinary Management. Karl D. Lewis, MD University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Cancer Center, will chair & moderate the CME/MOC/NCPD/CPE presentation and discussions.
August 25th at 12:30pm, MOASC LunchTime Series presents a zoom meeting with Bradley Behrendt, Financial Consultant discussing new California law requirements that force business with more than 5 employees to provide a qualified health plan to their employees. 
October 29-30, The University of California San Diego invites you to their inaugural Delivering Discoveries: Updates in Oncology CME conference. The diagnosis and management of cancer patients is increasingly complex and requires multidisciplinary management. This 1.5 day event will address all aspects of cancer from basic science research, advances in clinical care, to community-based approaches that optimize prevention and interception.
California News
Tomorrow! Wednesday, July 28 from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm, the next “Save MICRA” virtual Community Ambassador training will be held. While the “Fairness for Injured Patients Act” (FIPA) initiative won’t be on the ballot until November 2022, the campaign is working hard to continue growing our coalition and educating stakeholders. To support these efforts, CAPP is inviting you to serve as Community Ambassadors in support of fighting this harmful initiative. Community Ambassadors will serve as leaders within their respective organizations to help educate colleagues, friends, and community members about the dangers of FIPA. Additional trainings will be held throughout the year if you are unable to attend on the 28th. As always, thank you for your commitment to CAPP and please Contact Lisa Maas, Executive Director, Californians Allied for Patient Protection, info@micra.org, if you have any questions. 
July 31 is the deadline to ensure your application can be processed in time. CMA is collaborating with Aledade Inc. to help independent physicians succeed in value-based care, ensuring practices and health centers are able to thrive while delivering the best possible patient care. Aledade's network of accountable care organizations is expected to have saved Medicare about $300 million in health care spending in 2020, while providing high-quality care to more than 410,000 beneficiaries. Don’t miss the deadline to join an Aledade ACO for the 2022 performance year has been extended to August 3, 2021.
Proponents of the so-called “Fairness for Injured Patients Act” (FIPA) have continued to advocate for their trial attorney backed measure that will only limit access to care during the worst possible time by eliminating key MICRA protections for physicians. Thank you for your continued commitment to CAPP, and all you have done and continue to do for the health and wellbeing of millions of Californians. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to complete the sign-up form, below, to join the campaign coalition to oppose FIPA. As a reminder, even if you are a member of CAPP you must sign up on the link to formally oppose the initiative. 
California is set to become the first state to offer government-funded health insurance to low-income undocumented immigrants ages 50 and above. Governor Gavin Newsom recently unveiled this year’s $263 billion state budget, which expands social services for undocumented Californians. The state is paying for the equity-boosting measures with a surplus of tax dollars from the state’s richest residents and federal aid meant to help states recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medicare News 
Noridian News
CR 12242 reorganizes, makes edits, and other changes to the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) section in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 30, Section 50. 
Noridian Programs
July 29, 2021 Noridian Medicare Portal (NMP) Functionality webinar includes: NMP Functionality for Eligibility and MBI Lookup Tool, Claim Status, Financial, Appeals Status and Submission, Remittance Advices, Provider Enrollment, Message Center.
August 19, Evaluation and Management 2021 Clarifications, After Hours Webinar.
This event includes: Evaluation and Management Codes 99202-99215, AMA Errata and Technical Corrections, Review Questions and Answers, Resources.
Billing and Coding

Denosumab (Prolia ™, Xgeva ™) (A52399)
The following clarification has been added to the Documentation Requirements for Denosumab(Prolia®) and (Xgeva®): Patient adequately supplemented with calcium and vitamin D.
CMS News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created a series of fact sheets to help explain how HIPAA electronic transactions can streamline health care billing through the use of standards and operating rules.
Last week, CMS published MLM updates on the following:

October 2021 Quarterly ASP Medicare Part B Drug Pricing Files and Revisions to Prior Quarterly Pricing Files.
NCCI Procedure-to-Procedure (PTP) Edits
NCD CAR T-cell Therapy
On August 5, 2021, Bobbi Buell will be reviewing the Physician Fee Schedule and the Hospital Outpatient Proposed Rules. A few weeks ago, CMS released the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program proposed rule. This rule includes updates to payment rates for physicians and other health care professionals, expands the use of telehealth, clarifies evaluation and management policies, proposes policies for the 2022 performance year of the QPP, and includes many other provisions.
National News
Symptom burden stayed at pre-chemotherapy levels in cancer patients who received remote 24-hour monitoring and rose starting with the first chemotherapy cycle in patients who did not receive remote monitoring, according to a study in The BMJ. Patients in the intervention group used their mobile device to answer a questionnaire daily and whenever they felt unwell, symptoms were evaluated by the remote system, patients were directed to self-care resources, and clinicians received amber alerts for persistent mild to moderate symptoms and red alerts for emergencies.
Factual inaccuracies were present in a third of the 200 most popular articles about cancer on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Reddit, and 83% of the articles with inaccuracies contained potentially dangerous information, according to a study in The Journal of The National Cancer Institute. Misinformation included claims that currently available cancer treatments are ineffective or more toxic than they actually are, and claims that cannabis, extreme diets and herbal or folk remedies cure cancer, says study leader Dr. Skyler Johnson of the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Artificial intelligence analysis of socioeconomic, demographic and clinical data can identify patients with cancer who have a high risk of dying within 30 days, potentially enabling end-of-life planning and referrals to palliative and hospice care, according to a study in Future Medicine.
Cap Crusaders is a group of individuals that knit and crochet chemo. caps for cancer patients. Since 2007 they have provided over 50,000 free hats to cancer fighters. If you are willing and able to provide these items of comfort to your patients for free, please go to www.facebook.com/cap.crusaders.
Affiliate Association News
ANCO News
August 21, ANCO presents a hybrid meeting on the highlights of ASCO. ANCO’s ASCO21 Highlights will summarize the major research and treatment advancements presented at this year’s ASCO21 Virtual Meeting. The program will focus on breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynecologic, head and neck, lung cancers and sarcoma, as well as a Plenary: Equity: Every Patient. Every Day. Everywhere, and an Equity Panel. The faculty will place these developments in context as to their immediate clinical utility.
September 11, ANCO's Virtual Hematologic Malignancies Updates (part II of III) will be presented. Please register online no later than Thursday, September 9th.
ASH News
Tuesday, August 3, 11:59 p.m. PDT, is the deadline to submit your best new scientific research in hematology, and showcase your research in front of the brightest minds and influencers in the field of hematology at the 63rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, December 11-14, in person & virtually. The abstract submission portal is now open.
Thousands of abstracts will be accepted for presentation. All accepted abstracts will be published in Blood and will be made available for in-person meeting participants in Atlanta as well as those participating via the virtual meeting platform. As a reminder, abstracts describing innovative trials in progress, immunotherapies, and emerging diagnostic tools are eligible for submission and consideration for the ASH annual meeting program. Visit the ASH website for a full list of abstract review categories, policies, and eligibility requirements.
ASH is committed to educating its members on how to become effective advocates for hematology research and practice. The Society will be hosting a new series titled the ASH Advocacy Webinar Series to shed light on how Washington really works and how policy decisions at the federal level affect hematology research, practice, and patients.
The 2021 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies will take place September 10-11, at the Hilton Chicago and online as a virtual meeting. Hear top hematology experts present cutting-edge science, provide out-of-the-box treatment approaches, and answer challenging patient care questions during topic-based “How I Treat” presentations and panel discussions. Those who register for the in-person experience will also receive complimentary access to the meeting’s virtual platform.
COA News
COA has begun their Time to Screen campaign with celebrity campaign spokesperson Patti LaBelle. In the coming weeks you can see her and non-celebrity spokespersons in print, TV, radio, social media channels (Twitter www.twitter.com/oncologyCOA, Facebook www.facebook.com/CommunityOncologyAlliance), news releases, PSAs, media interviews
The Time to Screen campaign is intended to be a long-running public awareness effort. Starting with Patti LaBelle to launching a Practice Toolkit with resources for clinical teams to get involved, and the launch of a Stakeholder Toolkit for employers and others to join COA in getting out the important message about cancer screenings. Stay tuned for more information on these and how you can get involved. COA thanks you for your engagement and support of the Time to Screen campaign. Call the toll-free hotline 1-855-53-SCREEN to speak with a cancer-screening specialist and learn about the options near you. www.timetoscreen.org.
Please contact Nick Ferreyros, Director of Communications, (713) 377-0689, nferreyros@coacancer.org, for campaign resources from PSA’s, social media, core campaign ads, overview and logos.
Industry News
Merck announced that the FDA approved KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment and then continued as a single agent as adjuvant treatment after surgery, based on the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-522 trial. 
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.