California
Oncology
Weekly
"Where California Oncologists Go For Answers!"
A publication of the
Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.
June 16, 2020
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This
Weekly
's Hot Topics
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- TOMORROW - Skin Cancers virtual meeting, Wednesday, June 17. MOASC News
- Medicare webinar for Physicians, Thursday, June 18.MOASC News
- Center for Care Innovations grant deadline to apply for funding Friday, June 19 California News
- What can MOASC do to further support you? MOASC News
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- The deadline to apply for funding is this Friday, June 19, at 5 p.m. PDT. The California Health Care Foundation in partnership with the Center for Care Innovations is providing grants of up to $100,000 to help safety-net practices implement virtual care. Independent physician practices and community health centers that predominantly serve low-income communities are eligible to apply. The Connected Care Accelerator grant program is designed to help California's health care safety net respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The California Medical Association (CMA), in conjunction with the American Medical Association and 42 other state, specialty, and national medical associations representing hundreds of thousands of physicians, sent a letter to Congressional leaders, urging them to pass legislation to protect physicians from unfair lawsuits during COVID-19 pandemic.
- Will Lightbourne has been appointed by Gov. Newsom to head the California Dept. of Healthcare Services.
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Thank you to those who contacted your Assemblyperson in Sacramento!
Assembly Bill 2100 unanimously passed the Assembly Floor without opposition. Now, AB 2100 is awaiting to be assigned to a policy committee in the Senate. AB 2100 (Wood) would make the necessary changes to Medi-Cal's administration of the pharmacy benefit to its beneficiaries, in line with Governor Gavin Newsom's objective of moving the pharmacy benefit out of Medi-Cal Managed Care and into fee-for-service (FFS) without causing undue harm or burden to patients. AB 2100 also corrects the "below-acquisition cost" reimbursement issue caused by the newly adopted methodology mandated by the Affordable Care Act in 2016. Our strength in numbers makes us louder and stronger!
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- Billing and Coding: MolDX: Molecular Diagnostic Tests (MDT) - R2
This coverage article has been revised and published for notice under contract numbers: 01112 (NCA), 01182 (SCA), 01212 (AS, GU, HI, NMI), and 01312 (NV). Read the complete update
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Jurisdiction E Part B Local Coverage Articles Converted to Billing and Coding Articles in the Medicare Coverage Database
This coverage article has been revised and published for notice under contract numbers: 01112 (NCA), 01182 (SCA), 01212 (HI and Territories), and 01312 (NV).
Read the complete update
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Jurisdiction E Part B NCD Local Coverage Articles Converted to Billing and Coding Articles in the Medicare Coverage Database
The coverage articles noted below have been revised and published under contract numbers: 01112 (NCA), 01182 (SCA) and 01212 (AS, GU, HI, NMI), and 01312 (NV).
Read the complete update
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Upcoming Education: Please see Noridian's schedule of events webpage for upcoming trainings on Telehealth and COVID-19.
JEA
,
JEB
,
JAF
, and
JFB
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Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Webinar - June 17, 2020. This event includes: Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Basics, Locating fee schedules, Indicator list and descriptors, Resources, Questions and Answers
Read the complete update
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Duplicate Claims Webinar - June 25, 2020. This event includes: Claim Denial Reasons and Solutions, Repeat Modifiers, Noridian Medicare Portal (NMP), Resources
Read the complete update
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Treating Skin Cancers will be the topic of discussion in a virtual meeting TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 7:00pm to 8:30pm-PDT. Gino K. In, MD, PhD, Keck School of Medicine, USC will present to those practicing oncologists treating skin cancers. MOASC is collaborating with Targeted Oncology™ in an effort to provide members additional clinical education. Please register at
www.targetedonc.com/events
. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact MOASC at
moasc@moasc.org
or 909-985-9061 ext. 1. You will be offered compensation of $300 by HRA® for your contributions to the meeting and your completion of the short survey.
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MOASC presents a Medicare webinar for Physicians on
Thursday, June 18,
2020, 5:30pm PDT. Presented specifically for MOASC Physicians,
Arthur Lurvey, MD, FACP, FACE, California Medicare contractor Medical Director, will discuss Updates on Dealing with Issues related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Physicians, NPP's and all interested staff are welcome. The webinar affords physicians to enter into live dialogue with the California Medicare medical director. For more information, and to register for this webinar, contact the MOASC office at
moasc@moasc.org
or call 909-985-9061 x1.
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MOASC presents their LunchTime Series Teleconference on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 12:30pm PDT. COVID-19 Billing and Coding Updates for Your Cancer Center is presented by Teri Bedard, BA,RT,CPC, Director, Client Services, Revenue Cycle Coding Strategies. Review of the changes to telehealth services, supervision, provider-based designations, and coding for services. For more information, and to register for this webinar, call 909-985-9061 x1 or go to
moasc@moasc.org
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As patients are delaying appointments and procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MOASC is extending your membership to October 1, 2020. According to estimates from the American Academy of Family Physicians, as many as 58,000 physician practices could close by the end of June. Some practices are laying off or furloughing staff because of revenue shortfalls. As of this publication, California has not allowed complete, free and open commerce. The health and well-being of MOASC members, and the patients they serve, are of utmost importance to MOASC. This will provide you with three months of free membership to help you adapt to the changes with the necessary tools and resources to continue to be successful. The remaining nine months will be assessed at a prorated amount.
MOASC is able to do this with the generous support from your Industry Sponsors:
AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Puma Biotechnology, AbbVie, Merck, Verastem, Amgen, Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Foundation Medicine, Genentech, Genomic Health, Kite Pharma, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Oncology Supply, Regeneron, Sanofi-Genzyme, Stemline Therapeutics
and Takeda.
Together, we will continue to advance oncology in California. If you have any questions, please contact the MOASC Office by phone 909-985-9061 ext.1 or at moasc@moasc.org.
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What can MOASC do to further support you? Your input is valuable.
How can MOASC improve upon this publication and all communications to you? Please take a moment to respond to the following survey. It should take you less than 5 minutes to complete.
Upon receipt of your completed survey, you will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a $25 Amazon gift card. TAKE THE SURVEY NOW! Thank you in advance for your time and feedback to participate in this survey. If you have any further comments, issues and concerns, please feel free to contact moasc@moasc.org.
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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!
- Applications period has been extended for ANCO's Travel Awards to Fellows and Young Clinicians to support attendance at the ASCO Annual Meeting, ASH Annual Meeting, or other national oncology meeting in 2020 or 2021. Awards will be announced 30 days after the deadline; funds will be disbursed during the year in which the national meeting to be attended takes place. Learn more at https://anco.org/membership/fellow-benefits/.
- 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.
https://anco.org/membership/already-a-member/.
- Use ANCO's job board to post or search for employment opportunities at ANCO member practices.
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Follow ANCO on Twitter at @ANCO News.
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National News
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Last week, HHS announced approximately $15 billion in COVID-19 related relief payments for physicians
and hospitals that participate in state Medicaid programs and CHIP.
Providers will be able to apply for these funds starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 10.
For more information, see
CMA's fact sheet
.
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The spring Semiannual Report to Congress describes the OIG work identifying significant risks, problems, abuses, deficiencies, remedies, and investigative outcomes relating to the administration of HHS programs and operations that were disclosed during the semiannual reporting period, October 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020. OIG audit work identified $605.2 million in expected recoveries, as well as $288.4 million in questioned costs Click Here to download the report. Is your organization performing audits and internal investigations? Click Here for more information about formal training in audits and investigations.
- A recent Harris Poll study of US consumers shows that overall use of Telehealth services has doubled; nearly a third (32%) of Americans have now ever tried telehealth, with 15% now using telehealth for the first time during the pandemic. Telehealth has always been in US physicians' toolkit, but until COVID-19 adoption was relatively slow. In an early 2019 Harris Poll conducted in collaboration with American Well, 66% of Americans were willing to use telehealth, but only 8% had actually done so. Use among the physician community tended toward remote diagnostics and remote monitoring as opposed to more routine patient interactions. But with COVID-19, everything changed. The pandemic is poised to catapult the use of Telehealth, with usage anticipated to continue as the country starts to re-open and enter the "new normal." The Harris Poll.com-Telehealth
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Some regulatory flexibility granted during the coronavirus pandemic is likely to end once a vaccine or effective treatments are approved,
but other changes in biomedical research spurred by the pandemic are likely to be longer-lasting, says FasterCures Executive Director Esther Krofah. Specifically, the culture of collaboration that has emerged across government, industry and academia, as well as a shift to virtual clinical trials, are likely to persist, Krofah says.
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A growing number of Medicare Advantage health plans provide home-based palliative care as a supplemental benefit
. Blue Shield of California is raising awareness about its program through consultations conducted virtually, and coordinators refer to the palliative care program when an appropriate patient is identified. Hospice News.
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CMS News
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Recommendations Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare. As states and localities begin to stabilize and COVID-19-related healthcare demand decreases, it is important to safely resume care in order to treat ongoing health needs that are currently being postponed. Guidelines for Opening Up America Again are still applicable to all areas, and can be found at the following link:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/#criteria
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Affiliate Association New
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Legendary rock star, Roger Daltrey speaks with emerging star and cancer survivor, Harry Hudson, about music and the tremendous challenges that teens and young adult cancer patients are facing under pandemic conditions.
This short clip is just a preview of the 15-minute conversation between the two that will be available in the coming weeks! To help elevate cancer awareness, please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube and hit the 'notification bell' to be notified when the full interview is released.
Young people with cancer are facing the horrific challenges of this disease and the rigors of treatments. They are threatened by the Coronavirus because their already vulnerable immune system makes them five times more at risk than the rest of us. The strain that has been put on front line health systems could adversely affect the critical services that young people need. Now they share with us the emotional burden of the outpouring of anger and grief that has impacted us all. Teen Cancer America wants every young person with cancer to know that we are there for you and will provide you whatever support that we can during these challenging times.
info@teencanceramerica.org
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This is your chance to make a difference in bringing about change. Has your practice suffered from these issues with Express Scripts?
Your pharmacy is not allowed to participate in Express Scripts commercial or Part D networks;
Your pharmacy is reimbursed below cost from ESI on what they reimburse verses the direct cost of the drug;
Your pharmacy is reimbursed below cost from ESI on what they reimburse less cost of drug plus DIR fees plus pharmacy staff salaries and benefits plus all other direct and indirect costs;
Patients you have that participate in Prime Therapeutic commercial and Medicaid networks is now being managed by ESI as of April 1, and
You have received notice that patients that participate in Prime Therapeutic Part D networks are going to be managed by ESI as of January 1, 2021
If you have, please click on this survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ESICancerCare
. Frier Levitt is collecting this data to determine an action plan for which they will follow up with next steps. It is very important that on the very last question to provide specific examples directly to Jesse Dresser
jdresser@FrierLevitt.com
regarding being reimbursed below cost from ESI which includes direct and indirect costs. If you do not provide specific information, Frier Levitt will not be able to provide next steps. Jesse walks through and describes each question on the survey by clicking on this link
https://vimeo.com/425976701
. Hopefully this will help if you are confused and need more direction on any of the questions in the survey. This survey is very important as COPA has, for over a year, discussed multiple issues with filling drugs for your patients that participate in ESI networks and either not be able to participate in network or are reimbursed below cost. Please complete the survey by Monday June 22.The very last question asks for the date you are submitting all specific data and examples to Jesse. If you finish the survey by June 22 and need additional time to submit the examples, please note the date you will be submitting that information. Please do not make the date later than June 29. Thank you.
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Over the past year COA/COPA spent a lot of resources with Frier Levitt through surveys with oncology practices from across the country, regarding CVS' slow rolling the processing of network applications. COA has seen no oncology practices following up with Frier Levitt. For a cost of $1,500, Frier Levitt will review your application to see if CVS is slow rolling your application. If it is determined that this is the case your practice will be included in a letter written by Frier Levitt to CMS, pertinent members of Congress, CVS and any other parties deemed important on this issue, demanding CVS stop the slow rolling of these applications. If CVS responds appropriately by discontinuing the slow rolling of your application, only those practices that will be noted in the letter will be guaranteed to receive the benefit of any action by CVS on this issue. Please contact Jesse Dresser
jdresser@FrierLevitt.com
at Frier Levitt and let him know that you wish to participate in this matter. Please do this by the June 30. Thank you.
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The success of the 2020 Virtual Community Oncology Conference has inspired COA to meet with advocates virtually on July 15
. To help cancer patients and advocates get the best possible cancer care in this brave new COVID-19 world, COA is hosting their first-ever Virtual Community Oncology Advocacy Summit.
More details are coming soon, so sign up to receive the latest updates!
- The International Lung Cancer Congress will hold their 21st Annual meeting on July 23-25, 2020. The live webcast will provide current, practical information on the management of lung cancer, as well as a look at the novel agents and strategies with the potential to shape the future of lung cancer therapy. Leading international and national experts will provide perspectives on how to apply the latest data on targeted agents, immunotherapy, surgery, and radiation oncology in the clinic. Click
here
to register.
- Cedars-Sinai 3rd Annual Gastrointestinal Tumor Conference is on Saturday, September 12, 2020. Concise and comprehensive updates on the most recent research and advances in immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers, will be presented. A stellar faculty has been assembled to share developments in precision medicine, research, and immunotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancers of the pancreas, liver, and gastric/esophagus. For more information and to register go to:
cedars.cloud-cme.com/gicancercme
.
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ASH has decided to transition the
ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies
to a virtual experience
to provide important education while assuring the wellbeing of the hematology community around the world. Registration will open in the next few weeks. Visit their
website
for schedule updates.
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ASCO's
Nominating Committee is seeking recommendations for potential candidates for the upcoming ASCO election, for service beginning in June 2021. All members are invited to recommend individuals you believe possess the qualities needed to lead the Society in the future. Your participation in this process will help ensure that our Society's leaders represent the diversity of our membership. Please contact
ascoelection@asco.org
with any questions.
- NCCN Updated Cutaneous Melanoma Version 3.2020. For the complete updated versions of the NCCN Guidelines, NCCN Guidelines with NCCN Evidence Blocks™, the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium®), the NCCN Biomarkers Compendium®, the NCCN Chemotherapy Order Templates (NCCN Templates®), the NCCN Radiation Therapy Compendium™, and the NCCN Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria (NCCN Imaging AUC™), please visit NCCN.org.
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Industry News
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Pharmacyclics
will present a live broadcast on redefining approaches in frontline chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treatment.
The broadcast is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17th at 4:30 and 6:30pm. Click here to register and for more information.
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co
. announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved Nivolumab (OPDIVO) for patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy.
For more information click here
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MOASC CALENDAR
"Updates on Dealing with Issues related to the COVID-19 Pandemic"
June 18, 2020
COVID-19 Billing and Coding Updates for Your Cancer Center.
June 24, 2020
(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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