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
- Various disaster relief and assistance California News
- "MOASC Educational Series Program," November 14 MOASC News
- House of Representatives passed two PBM bills National News
- CMS releases final rule for 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule CMS News
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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 & ANCO wish to ensure you are familiar with the various disaster relief and assistance for you and your patients:
1) MOASC Oncology Patient Emergency Network (OPEN) Since national, local and personal disasters will always occur, in 2006 the Medical Oncology Association of Southern California proactively developed the operational components of the Oncology Patient Emergency Network (OPEN). For more information or to join the Oncology Patient Emergency Network (OPEN), please visit www.open-central.com. OPEN is pleased to be working with,
2) 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 www.directrelief.org/emergency/. For information about becoming a Direct Relief partner facility, please visit https://www.directrelief.org/place/united-states/ or contact Rose Levy at rlevy@directrelief.org.
3) Rx Open
helps patients get access to medicine in an emergency by mapping the location of open and closed pharmacies in a disaster stricken area.
Click here
to use the Rx Open map to search for pharmacies nearest you. Remember to call before visiting to ensure the pharmacy has your medication in stock.
- California Pharmacists Association will be visiting cities statewide over the next few months hosting Town Halls to engage pharmacists on CPhA's strategic planning, execution, and advocacy on Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) issues. For more details on certain location's, contact Nick Chiappe, Coalition Manager, at
NChiappe@cpha.com or by phone at 916-978-3791. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and 1 CE credit will be available.
Southern California:
Northern California:
Central Valley:
- Anthem Blue Cross's Provider News-California is now available online at
https://providernews.anthem.com/california
and features items about changes to timely filing requirements; California fires; contracted provider claim escalation process; provider education seminars, webinars, workshops, and more; and Anthem Blue Cross provider directory and provider data.
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- Noridian/JEMAC has the following updates on their website
Announcements
:
Protect Your Patients' Identities: Use the MBI Now; Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program Results for F2020; HHAs: CY2020 Payment and Policy Changes and CY2021 Home Infusion Therapy Benefit
Events:
Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test Payment System: Data Reporting Call-November 14; Success with the Hospice Quality Reporting Program Webinar-November 14
Publications:
Billing Instructions for Beneficiaries Enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans for Services Covered by Decision Memo CAG-00451N; Medicare Fraud & Abuse: Prevent, Detect, and Report Web-Based Training Course; Quality Payment Program: MIPS 2019 Web-Based Training Courses
* Quarterly Update to the NCCI PTP Edits, Version 26.0, Effective January 1, 2020 CR11523
* MLB Connects-October 31, 2019
Forthcoming Noridian JEMAC meetings/webinars/workshops
* Open Enrollment Webinar (November 6)
* New Provider Enrollment Rebuttal Process Webinar (December 4)
For more information and to register visit:
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- Plan on attending the "MOASC Educational Series Program," November 14, 2019.Get the most recent information to prepare your practice for 2020 changes! 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 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.
- The e-syllabus for ANCO's 2019 Professional Education Meeting feature presentations on the proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for 2020 and USP797/800 is now available online at www.anco.org.
- 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
) at
https://anco.org/membership/already-a-member/
.
- Follow ANCO on Twitter at
@ANCO News
.
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National News
- Last week, the House of Representatives passed two pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) bills. There is a lot of attention being paid to the impact of PBMs on access to and cost of care. In addition to legal work, COA is working on 2 PBM bills dealing with DIR quality fees and ensuring patients get their drugs within 72 hours.
1)Rep. Abigail Spanberger's bill, HR 2115, requires HHS to publicly post aggregate rebate data from Medicare and ACA exchange plans on a drug-class level.
2)Rep. Buddy Carter's bill, HR 1781, gives MedPac and MACPAC access to drug pricing and rebate data to help Congress better understand how the drug market is operating.
- At the annual meeting of the MGMA, last month, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D.,
R-La., spoke of physicians and others in the medical field should be involved in political debates about healthcare.
"Unless we in healthcare, physicians and those who are so familiar with healthcare systems such as you, bring our expertise to the public policy debate, we're going to end up with public policy that does not work." Modern Medicine/Medical Economics
- The FDA has proposed creating a rating system for manufacturers, paying more for generic drugs and identifying contracting practices that may be contributing to more frequent and persistent drug shortages.
Read More
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Walmart is
rolling out an effort to measure the quality of community doctors who treat tens of thousands of its employees in the retailer's latest effort to make sure its workers get the right care, in the right place and at the right time. Walmart is launching the "featured providers" program with a fast-growing data analytics company known as Embold Health, which says it uses data to "shine a light on top-performing doctors" from data gleaned from public and private insurers to create reports on individual doctors. "This data will help take the guesswork out of finding an affordable, quality local provider in eight specialties: primary care, cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics and pulmonology," Walmart said in its column. "Walmart will use this data to curate a group of physicians with a track record of providing consistent quality care and then provide that to associates so they can make more informed decisions regarding their care."
- Reminder: Marketplace Open Enrollment started last 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.
- TRICARE Open Season runs from Nov. 11 through Dec 9, 2019. Enrollment choices made during this period will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
- The Internal Revenue Service urges taxpayers to act now to avoid a tax-time surprise and ensure smooth processing of their 2019 federal tax return. This is the first in a series of reminders to help taxpayers get ready for the upcoming tax filing season. To that end, a special page, newly updated and available on IRS.gov, outlines things taxpayers can do now to prepare for the 2020 tax season ahead.
- The UnitedHealthcare Network Bulletin (November 2019) is now available online at
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CMS News
- CMS released its final rule for the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and other changes to Medicare Part B reimbursement policies, including proposals required to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The agency also released the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) final rule for 2020. Both rules are expected to publish in the Federal Register on November 9. The estimated overall impact of the final MPFS for both the hematology/oncology and radiation oncology specialties is 0% in 2020. However, the actual impact on individual physician practices will depend on the mix of services the practice provides. The final rule also revised the times and medical decision-making processes for all codes and requires providers to perform a history and exam only as medically appropriate. Read more of ASCO's initial observations and analysis at
https://www.asco.org/asco-in-action/
.
- CMS has proposed extending Medicare coverage for next-generation genetic sequencing tests to patients with certain cancers that might have a genetic cause. To be eligible for coverage under the proposal, the test should have FDA approval or clearance, and results should be provided to the physician in a template for guiding treatment.
The Medicare agency would pay for advanced genetic screening tests that are critical to personalized treatments known as precision medicine, under a proposal released Oct. 29. The proposed decision memo would extend Medicare coverage of next-generation sequencing tests to certain types of ovarian and breast cancer that may be caused by hereditary factors, Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said in a series of tweets.
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Affiliate Association News
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- This Friday through Sunday, November 8 - 10, 2019 join Research To Practice at their First Annual Oncology Nursing Retreat 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:
- ASCO will launch the Association for Clinical Oncology (the Association), a 501c6 professional association that will enable increased advocacy efforts directed toward policymaker in support of high-quality cancer care. ASCO will continue to operate as a 501c3 organization with no change to its central mission and very few structural changes. Core activities--including education, research, and quality programs--will continue to be conducted by the Society. Certain activities--including advocacy, member services, and the QOPI certification program--will be transferred to the Association. Read FAQs about this initiative at
- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is proud to announce that chief medical officer Dr. Frederick Schnell has been appointed to serve on the American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Commission on Cancer (CoC) for a three-year term. Dr. Schnell brings 34 years of experience as a practicing community oncologist, most recently as CEO at Central Georgia Cancer Care in Macon, GA. "Both the CoC and the COA missions are patient-focused," said Dr. Schnell. "Quality care and cost controls are as important to patient survival as the many advances in cancer treatment. I look forward to combining our efforts to ensure that every patient with cancer has access to local, affordable, quality cancer care." COA and Dr. Schnell join the consortium of professional organizations on the Commission that work to improve the American cancer care delivery system through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care.
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COA wishes to thank you for your continued support of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and
urge you to consider participating in the Friends of Community Oncology Political Action Committee (FCO PAC) before the end of this year. As an oncology leader in your community, your engagement has been instrumental. It is imperative that a representative of community oncology is also present on the campaign trail.
Entirely separate from COA, FCO PAC allows our industry to speak with a united voice to protect our allies in Congress and reinforce the issues that mean the most to our practices and patients across the nation. The FCO PAC mission is to protect and support the elected officials who have made the commitment to defend the community oncologists, patients, and professionals that comprise our profession. To join, please visit
http://www.fcopac.org/join
for more information and sign up instructions.
- ASCO's ConquerCancer Foundation seeks nominations for the Women Who Conquer Cancer (WWCC) Mentorship Awards. Two awards will represented at the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting--the Hologic Inc Endowed WWCC Mentorship Award (for a US-based mentor) and the International WWCC Mentorship Award. These awards aim to recognize and promote the work of women mentors who are both leaders and role models committed to the professional development of women colleagues as clinicians, educators, and researchers in oncology. Visit
https://www.asco.org/research-progress/grants-awards/funding-opportunities/women-who-conquer-cancer-mentorship-awards
for more information.
- ASH offers multiple funding opportunities for hematology Fellows, junior faculty, and senior research fellows at various career stages. Apply now for one of the following career-enhancement awards and get the research funding needed to move your hematology career forward--ASH Minority Hematology Fellow Award, ASH Research Training Award for Fellows. Apply now at
https://www.hematology.org/Awards/Career/
.
-
J
oin Targeted Oncology
™
next
Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7pm Pacfic,
for
a
sit-down
Roundtable discussion on Lymphoma.
Experts will discuss pathology report findings, patient diagnostic workup, the most likely diagnosis and potential treatment options across multiple cases in a given therapeutic area.
Key Opinion Leader: Dr. Marin Xavier (Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center) will moderate this program at Donovan's Steak and Chop House (570 K Street, San Diego, CA 92101)
RSVP at
www.targetedonc.com/events
To view the invitation click
here
.
- Make your comments to ASH by November 15 on thier draft recommendations for guidelines for the prevention and treatment of VTE in patients with cancer. Materials are available at:
hematology.org/Guidelines-Public-Comment
.
- Voting began 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
https://www.asco.org/about-asco/asco-overview/asco-election
.
- Round 2 data submission runs through December 3 for
ASCO Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI).
The oncologist-led, practice-based, quality assessment program for outpatient oncology clinics, is free for practices with at least one active ASCO member. Practices can benchmark their quality of care against more than 150 quality measures. Register at
https://myqopi.asco.org/registration/login.aspx
.
- 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
.
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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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