California Oncology Weekly
"An Oncologists’ Source for Timely Information"
A publication of the
Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc.
November 3, 2020
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Click anywhere on picture to view the past 30 years |
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VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
November is Pancreatic Cancer & Lung Cancer Awareness Month
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MOASC President, Warren Fong, M.D. named treasurer of CMA Specialty Delegation. MOASC News
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Tomorrow! MOASC brings an M.D., an MBA and Marketing Strategist to YOUR Practice! MOASC News
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Tomorrow! Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. webcast on Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Industry News
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Tomorrow! Immunomedics webcast on Trodelvy Industry News
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CONGRATULATIONS, Dr. Fong! |
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MOASC President Warren Fong, M.D., has been named Treasurer for the California Medical Association Specialty Delegation. Besides MOASC President, Dr. Fong serves on the MOASC Finance Committee and the National Oncology State Network (NOSN) Finance Team. During his six-year-long term as CMA Treasurer, Dr. Fong will be responsible for the finances of this delegation.
MOASC is in receipt of more Members receiving letters from healthplans regarding brown & white bagging of drugs. MOASC Executive Director, Nichole East has been meeting with various specialty societies and associations, lobbyists, pharma and other stakeholders discussing these policies and possible next steps. Attached, is a template letter developed by Community Oncology Alliance (COA) in collaboration with Frier Levitt, which may be used as part of oncology’s efforts to combat this trend. Please communicate with MOASC should you receive letters from healthplans. Thank you. Cigna-List of Specialty Clinics
MOASC PROGRAMS - SAVE THE DATES All Times are Pacific
For 30 years MOASC has brought exceptional practice management and billing programs to their members. This year is no different… Keep up, keep current and Register now for MOASC’s 30th Annual Educational Series with MOASC’s Educational Series tailored for YOU!
Tomorrow! On November 4, MOASC is bringing an M.D., an MBA and Marketing Strategist to YOUR Practice! Practice Administrators will learn of:
· Telehealth In Community Oncology;
· Discovering Your Leverage: A Value-Based Contracting Case Study, and
· Engaging and educating patients on social media and digital platforms in today’s COVID-19 environment; Ways to enhance the patient experience via marketing strategies, and Evaluating best-in-class marketing tactics and strategies that work at other medical practices.
THEN! On November 12, make room in your practice for the billing and revenue experts MOASC has invited to speak with you. What are traditional denial management methods really costing your practice? Studies suggest that most providers see overall denial and rejection rates as high as 15-20 percent. And a high percentage of those denied and rejected claims never get resubmitted, resulting in lost revenue. Because of these issues and many more, billers must Zoom in on November 12.
Please welcome and thank these MOASC Series partners when they visit your practice.
AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Pfizer Oncology, Puma Biotechnology, AbbVie, Merck, Verastem, Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Foundation Medicine, Johnson and Johnson, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Exact Science, Genentech, Immunomedics , Kite Pharma, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Oncology Supply, Pharmacyclics, Regeneron Healthcare, Sanofi-Genzyme, Stemline Therapeutics, Takeda and Walgreens. THANK YOU!
On November 12, back by clinical demand, is another MOASC Virtual Clinical Conference. This program is titled Up Close and Personalizing Gastric Cancer Care Precision Medicine With HER2-Targeted Therapies and Other Novel Agents. As the management of gastric/GEJ cancer is rapidly evolving, oncologists and other healthcare professionals will benefit from receiving practical guidance on the role and use of current and emerging personalized therapies. PeerView has developed this collection of educational activities to highlight the importance of molecular testing, help synthesize the latest advances and data of novel HER2-directed and other targeted therapeutics, and offer optimal strategies to effectively integrate personalized medicine in gastric cancer care. Register Now.
Continue to learn and support the advocacy performed on your behalf by renewing your MOASC membership TODAY! Thank you. moasc@moasc.org.
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Covered California has launch open enrollment for 2021 health insurance coverage and will continue accepting applications for coverage until Jan. 31.“Open enrollment is the one and only time of the year where all eligible Californians can sign up for quality health care coverage without needing to meet any special circumstances,” said Peter V. Lee, the executive director of Covered California.
The 2020 Southern California State of Reform Virtual Health Policy Conference is coming up on December 8th. It'll be an important event, introducing new legislature and Congress in 2021. Will Lightbourne, Director of DHCS, will open State of Reform during the morning keynote session! Lightbourne will bring us up to speed on how Gov. Newsom's vision for health reform is getting implemented at DHCS. He'll talk through what has been learned from stakeholder work the agency has done, and what re-procurement looks like as Medi-Cal prepares for transformation. Scan the Topical Agenda for a sense of the day's discussions. Since this event is virtual, you can join from anywhere.
The capital region’s major league basketball team is planning a free Kings-sized flu vaccine clinic for Sacramento County residents on Nov. 7. Nurses will give the flu shots to anyone who is 6 months of age or older and who does not have a medical condition that could be affected by the vaccine.
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Noridian News
Noridian Medicare Portal Eligibility Webinar in on November 12, 2020
This event includes: Hours of availability, Eligibility, Medicare beneficiary identifier look up, and Resources Read More
Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to indicate a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other services performed on the same day. Modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than Evaluation and Management (E/M) services that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstance. Read the complete update
Providers are encouraged to attend the many educational events offered by Noridian. The schedules of region-specific events, webinars and training are JEA, JEB, JAF and JFB. For a schedule of Noridian events of interest, go HERE.
Medicare changes that will keep you updated in this next quarter can be found Here.
The complete listing of locally hosted coverage articles can be viewed Here.
CMS News
CMS has finalized a rule requiring most private health insurance providers to create a digital tool that will display cost-sharing information for 500 common health care items and services as well as negotiated rates between insurers and health care providers starting in 2023, with the scope expanding the following year. AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles said the rule will "reduce competition and push health care prices higher -- not lower -- for American families, patients and taxpayers." Healthcare Finance
CMS will penalize and reduce a year's worth of Medicare payments to 2,545 hospitals due to their high 30-day readmission rates as part of the ninth year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. The average reduction is 0.69%, and 613 hospitals will receive a penalty of 1% or higher.
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page Here
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Physicians are less likely to vote than the general public. Voter participation among physicians was 14 percentge points lower than that of the general public between 2006 and 2018, according to a recent study. Click here to see the study results.
Vaccination should not be delayed. Even if you have not yet received your flu vaccination, it is not too late! Get vaccinated before flu viruses begin spreading in your community, as it will take about 2 weeks for your body to develop antibodies to protect against flu.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and two federal agencies are warning of an "imminent cybercrime threat" to US hospitals and health care providers, noting that several hospitals across the country have already been hit.
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The Wisconsin Care Collaborative will collect data on populations at risk of dying from cancer based on social determinants of health data. The 10-year project, which aims to reduce cancer deaths and increase genetic testing, will also increase reporting from sources other than hospitals.
HHS has unveiled the final Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, which will require health insurers, health care professionals and researchers to boost use and availability of health IT tools. The plan will also provide systems that allow patients to access their health care information via smartphones, help them track and manage their treatments, and permit them to communicate with their clinicians.
A new survey from the American Medical Association reports that medical practices have experienced a nearly one-third drop in average revenue in 2020, with almost one in five reporting a decrease greater than 50%. Additionally, more than 80% of physicians stated they were seeing fewer in-person patient visits than in February, with nearly 70% recording fewer total visits, including telehealth appointments.
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Affiliate Association News |
ANCO News
Four seats on the ANCO Board of Directors are up for election in 2020. ANCO seeks nominations for candidates to stand for election to these seats. This year's election will be conducted via mail ballot in December. Candidates with the top four vote totals will serve for three years (i.e., from 2021-2023, inclusive).
The ANCO Board of Directors governs the Association, developing advocacy strategies and policies, approving educational meeting proposals and activities, and considering membership benefits. The Board meets in person approximately once per year in the San Francisco Bay Area and via bimonthly teleconference. Expenses associated with attending Board meetings are reimbursed. Communication with the Board is also conducted via e-mail. You may nominate an ANCO member (including yourself) to stand for election to the Board via e-mail to courtney@anco.org no later than November 16.
ASH News
COA News
On October 21, COA released a study showing a huge drop in preventive cancer screenings like mammograms, colonoscopies, and biopsies due to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). The study, conducted by Avalere Health on behalf of COA, examined billing frequencies for common cancer procedures in 2020 and compared them to 2019. The study found significant reductions in common breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer screening procedures that have not rebounded, even as providers have instituted safety procedures to stop COVID-19 transmission. Experts are worried that the lack of screenings will contribute to increased mortality and complications from advanced cancers in 2021 and beyond. The Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care
NCCN News
NCCN has published updates for Multiple Myeloma and Uterine Neoplasms. These NCCN Guidelines® are currently available as Version 3.2021to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) and the NCCN Drugs and Biologics Compendium (NCCN Compendium®) Read More
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TOMORROW! Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. cordially invites MOASC Members on November 4, to their webcast series on Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency: An Under Recognized Cause of Chronic Hemolytic Anemia. Agios is excited to follow the science and evolving work in non-malignant hematology. Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PK Deficiency) is a genetic disease that causes lifelong chronic hemolytic anemia. PK Deficiency is often overlooked and a misunderstood disease. Many PK Deficiency patients may be referred to an oncology clinic because of their chronic hemolytic anemia and associated complications.
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TOMORROW! Immunomedics cordially invites MOASC Members, November 4, 6:00 PM PT Program ID: 11359, to their webcasts on TRODELVY sacituzumab govitecan-hziv). Presented by: John W. Park, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UCSF School of Medicine. TRODELVY is a Trop-2-directed antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate indicated for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease. Advance Registration is Required
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AstraZeneca cordially invites MOASAC Members on November 5 to their webcast in support of the PAOLA-1 launch. They will hold expert discussions on LYNPARZA® (olaparib) and LYNPARZA + bevacizumab as Maintenance Monotherapy or Combination Therapy in advanced Ovarian Cancer: Results from Key clinical Trials. View multiple dates and invitation here.
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Puma Biotechnology invites MOASC Members on Thursday, November 5 at 6:00pm., to their clinical webinar on Protecting Patients with NERLYNX® (NERATINIB), the first and only HER2-directed small molecule approved by the FDA in both HER2+eBC and HER2+mBC. Presented by: Alan Auerbach, CEO & President; Fairooz Kabbinavar, M.D., SVP Clinical Development and Jeff Ludwig, CCO.
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AbbVie is excited to announce their upcoming National Broadcasts: New Evidence in First-Line AML on Tuesday, November 10 at 2:00pm PT and 5:00pmPT and Exploring Outcomes with Fixed-Duration Treatment in CLL, taking place on Thursday, 11/12 and Tuesday, 11/17 across multiple time zones. These educational events support oncologists and care teams. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn directly from experts in AML and CLL. During this interactive presentation the speakers will: Recognize VENCLEXTA as a BCL-2 inhibitor for 1L AML, and 1L and R/R CLL; Review the phase 3 efficacy and safety outcomes of VENCLEXTA + azacitidine from the pivotal VIALE-A study for patients with 1L AML, ineligible for intensive induction chemotherapy due to age or comorbidities; Explore the efficacy and safety outcomes of VENCLEXTA’s chemo-free, fixed duration CLL regimens.
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Kite Pharma cordially invites MOASC Members, on November 11 at 5:30pm, to their upcoming webinar about A CAR T-cell Therapy for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma – TECARTUS™ Prescribing Information. TECARTUS™ is the first and only CAR T-cell therapy approved for adult patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Learn about incorporating TECARTUS™ CAR T therapy into your practice, gain an understanding of MCL disease and unmet needs and review and discuss the use of TECARTUS™ for R/R MCL. Presented by: Joshua Sasine, M.D..
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Seattle Genetics cordially invites MOSC Members to their upcoming Educational Program to review data from ECHELON-1, on November 12. Asuperiority trial comparing ADCETRIS+AVD to ABVD. This trial introduces a bleomycin-free regimen for adult patients with previously untreated Stage III/IV classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (cHL). Also discussed will be the latest data from the North American subset analyses. Presented by: Andrew Evens, D.O., MSc, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. To register please contact Stacey Dominguez at sdominguez@seagen.com or 310-560-1104.
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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.
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