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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.
November 1, 2016
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California News
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- Forthcoming CMA webinars include:
* Is Your Practice at Risk for a HIPAA Security Breach? (November 2)
* Nondiscrimination Statements: A Detailed Guide to Compliance (November 9)
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Noridian News
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* MLN Connects Provider News
Announcements--Quality Payment Program: Additional Opportunities for Clinicians to Join Innovative Care Approaches
Claims, Pricers, and Codes--
Events--Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test Payment System: Data Reporting Call-November 2l; Quality Payment Program Final Rule Call-November 15
Publications--Provider Compliance Fact Sheets-New; PECOS FAQs Fact Sheet-Revised; Complying with Documentation Requirements for Laboratory Services Fact Sheet-Reminder
* Self-Administered Drug Exclusion List-R8
* Medicare B News JE October 2016 Bulletin-Now Available
* Noridian Medicare Portal Functionality Webinar-November 2, 8
* Self-Service Reopenings Available Through NMP
* New Influenza Virus Vaccine Code-Implementation-Revised CR9793
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- Only 2.1% of physicians said they knew a lot about the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, while 87.8% said they didn't know much or anything about the new law. IT'S NEXT WEEK! DON'T MISS MOASC's Fall Clinical Staff, Billing and Administrator Programs, scheduled for November 9 and 10, 2016 from 8:00am - 2:00pm, at Embassy Suites Anaheim-Orange 400 N. State College Blvd., Orange. On Wednesday, November 9th, the Clinical Staff Track discussion highlight is Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Clinical Hot Topics in 2016. The Billing Staff Track discussion highlight is Oncology Billing Overview and Updates. On Thursday, November 10th the Administrator's Program discussion highlights are: Self Advocating for Protections Against Hazardous Drugs with an overview of USP 800; MACRA, and Mitigating financial risk in the practice and Payer Contracting/Negotiations. Contact the MOASC Office for more information and registration. moasc@moasc.org
- The 2nd Annual Practical Recommendations in Immuno and Molecular Oncology (PRIMO) Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 2017 through Sunday, February 12, 2017 at the Marriott Wailea in Maui, Hawaii. This is a CME-certified event aimed to help practicing providers keep up with the latest advances in immuno and molecularly targeted therapies, while approaching real-world issues on how and when to optimally integrate them into clinical practice. The agenda has been carefully tailored to ensure all will benefit from the information, with an emphasis on the following key areas across 15 tumor types: Practical considerations of applying biomarkers and targeted therapy Integration of immunotherapy, with a focus on novel management approaches Patient selection, as well as timing and sequencing of therapy Dealing with important trends, such as big data and defining value in cancer care MOASC Members are afforded a special discount for registration to attend the meeting.
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- ANCO's 4Q2016 Hematological Malignancies Update will take place on November 12
at the Stanford Park Hotel, Menlo Park, with Bruno Medeiros, M.D., Stanford University, Jeffrey L. Wolf, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, and Gregory P. Kaufman, M.D., Stanford University. The latest research on novel treatment modalities for acute and chronic leukemia's, and myeloma, along with case studies for these diagnoses will be presented. The program begins at 8:30AM with breakfast. This meeting is supported by Janssen Biotech, Seattle Genetics, and Takeda Oncology. Space is limited to the first 50 physician or nurse registrants only. Meeting announcements were mailed in early October. Download the meeting announcement/registration form at www.anco-online.org/4Q2016HemeMalig.pdf.
- ANCO's
Medicare Reimbursement for Oncology 2017
with Bobbi Buell takes place January 4 in San Jose and January 5 in Sacramento. Learn the latest information impacting Medicare's oncology reimbursement for 2017. These meetings are supported by ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Exelixis, Helsinn Oncology, and Merck. Download the meeting announcement and registration form at www.anco-online.org/MedicareUpdate2017.pdf.
- ANCO is pleased to announce the 17th Multidisciplinary Management of Cancers: A Case-based Approach on March 17-19, 2017 at The Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa. Sign up for more information at www.multicancers.org.
- ANCO seeks nominations to its Board of Directors. Four seats on the Board are up for election in 2016. 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 2017-2019, inclusive). The ANCO Board of Directors governs the Association, developing advocacy strategies and policies, approving education meeting proposals and activities, and considering membership benefits. The Board meets in person approximately once each 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 FAX broadcast and e-mail. You may nominate an ANCO member (including yourself) to stand for election to the Board via FAX to the ANCO office at (415) 472-3961 or e-mail to execdir@anco-online.org no later than November 18, 2016.
- ASCO has announced its roster of candidates for open leadership positions. Amongst the candidates are two ANCO members--Eric Small, MD, UCSF, and A. Dimitrios Colevas, MD, Stanford University. ASCO members will be able to vote for their chosen leaders from November 1 through December 2, 2016. Go to www.asco.org/election for more information.
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- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has released a fax from CVS informing physicians of CVS' reversal regarding in office physician dispensing of drugs.
CVS is not going ahead with its plans to force dispensing practices out of network effective 1/17.
Note reference to enrollment in other plans. For those of you wanting to enroll in CVS own/administered plans - either had an enrollment application in or want to submit one - please do 2 things:
Let COA know that you have an application in or want to submit one, if you have not informed COA already. Follow up with CVS on your application or submit one ASAP and let COA know what CVS says.
Also, COA strongly recommends to any practice operating either a retail pharmacy or a dispensing facility that you get it accredited ASAP. This is one of the reasons why the COA Board launched COPA, and why the first thing the COPA Board worked on was an accreditation program. You can get information on the COPA website. Practices need some type of accreditation because the PBM/specialty pharmacy threat is not going away. Accreditation will be essential going forward for several critical reasons. CVS FAX Part D 10.28.16
- Take a look! Watch "5 Doctors on MACRA!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDOnzZbYpXk&index=2&list=PLoJ01_uhv4qt-24Aa
jXFIdtD2hhOS6f-C. As part of a grass roots effort to fight MACRA and its devastating consequences, physicians discussed their concerns on video.
CMS "dropped" the final rules just over a week ago and despite some "softening," MACRA poses a huge threat to solo and small group practice physicians of becoming financially insolvent. If you agree with the content please forward the link for "5 Doctors on MACRA" to EVERYONE you know. Then ask them to forward it to everyone THEY know.
If we can make these videos go VIRAL, physicians and patients alike will at least start asking important questions. They might figure out that MACRA is BAD medicine for US. Thank you for anything you can do to spread the word.
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- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with the MLN Connects® call invites you to join a webinar November 15 on Quality Payment Program Final Rule 10:30am to 12:00pm Pacific Time MLN Connects Event Registration. Target Audience: Medicare Part B Fee-For-Service clinicians, office managers and administrators; state and national associations that represent healthcare providers; and other stakeholders. During this call, learn about the provisions in the recently released final rule; participants should review the rule prior to the call. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. To learn more about the final rule and the Quality Payment Program, view the following resources:
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Affiliate Association News
- Join the Healthcare Leadership Council's tele-town hall to hear the latest on the Affordable Care Act's Independent Physician Advisory Board repeal efforts and the potential impact on Medicare beneficiaries, as well as proposed Senate activity. Beth Nelson with Senator John Cornyn's office will be joining the call to share the Senator's concerns with IPAB, his interest in repealing IPAB, and discuss his ongoing leadership on the issue.
Participant Dial-In: 888-455-0031
Passcode: MEDICARE Speakers: Mary R. Grealy, Healthcare Leadership Council Beth Nelson, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Join Dr Neil Love and his education group, Research To Practice, at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel (1700 Ocean Avenue) on Saturday, November 12, 2016, for another installment of the Year in Review multi-tumor oncology CME program. The daylong event (from 8:00am - 4:00pm) we will be joined by an exceptional faculty panel that will review many of the year's most important new data sets and conference presentations in several distinct areas of oncology: breast cancer, lung cancer, genitourinary cancers, select gastrointestinal cancers, melanoma, multiple myeloma and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For more information or to register and secure hotel accommodation, visit: http://www.researchtopractice.com/Meetings/YIR2016/CA.
- AML webinar series explores the changing landscape of clinical decision making. From emerging molecular and cytogenetic alterations to treatment timing to improving outcomes for older patients, the landscape of treatment decision-making in AML is changing.
*On Thursday, Nov. 17, Fred Appelbaum, M.D., James Foran, M.D., Laura C. Michaelis, M.D., will discuss patient co-morbidities, disease factors and assessment tools that influence treatment decision-making for patients with AML over age 60. All webinars are scheduled from 2-3 p.m. Pacific Time. Find full details on CME and the activities at BeTheMatchClinical.org. Whether you see a few patients a year with AML or dozens, the free webinars will present information you can apply to your clinical practice. Register for the webinars, or select the ones that fit your schedule. This series is being sponsored by The National Marrow Donor Program®/Be The Match®.
- The 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition is only a month away. Be sure to register before the advance registration rate ends tomorrow, November 2, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Registration fees will increase significantly after the deadline. Learn about the most significant scientific discoveries in hematology and how these discoveries impact clinical practice, at the 58th ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition. December 3-6, 2016 in San Diego. Advance registration is open for a limited time. Register today to secure the best rates available for this year's event and to book your housing. ASH Registration and Housing Center, 888-273-5704 (U.S. toll free). Email: ashregistration@spargoinc.com ashhousing@spargoinc.com
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Comments on the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for CY2017 have been submitted by:
- ASCO is accepting applications for its 2017 Quality Training Program. In 2017, the Program is shifting its model of in-person sessions at ASCO headquarters in Alexandria to regional settings, including Portland. The comprehensive six-month program brings oncology teams together to create and facilitate an improvement project. Each team selects a project that will solve a problem in its own clinical setting, so the learning experience is simultaneously fostering a solution or best practice. For more information about the Quality Training Program, visit www.asco.org/training-education/professional-development/quality-training-program.
- ASCO is accepting applications for its prestigious Health Policy Fellowship, a one-year Fellowship opportunity designed to give early-career oncologists the unique skills necessary to monitor and shape the regulatory and legislative policies that directly affect the practice environment and impact patients with cancer and their care teams. The deadline for submitting applications is December 30 at www.asco.org/node/7556.
- ASCO's Annual Election of leaders opens November 1 and will remain open through December 2. Go to www.asco.org/election to learn about the candidates and vote.
- The 6th edition of the ASH Self-Assessment Program (ASH-SAP) contains 23 pertinent peer-reviewed chapters, covering the full spectrum of adult and pediatric hematology. Order your copy or learn more at www.hematology.org/BuyASHSAP6.
- View the 2016 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies Webcast with more than 13 hours of exclusive educational content. The webcast provides access to 21 sessions and 8 panel discussions featuring top experts in hematologic malignancies. The content is available online as video recordings of the speakers synced with slides from their presentations. Free previews from the 2015 meeting are available for viewing. Order Now
- Starting in November, join select 2017 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies (MHM) Program Planning Committee members and speakers for a free, five-part series previewing content from the core malignant hematology themes covered during the meeting--leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloma, and myeloproliferative neoplasms. The first webinar will focus on lymphoma and is scheduled for November 3 at 8AM Pacific Time. Learn more and register at https://cc.readytalk.com/registration/#/?meeting=6vai7w2z06v&campaign=5u5sdn5oml8r.
- NCCN has published updated NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) with NCCN Evidence Blocks™ for the following disease sites:
* Chemotherapy Order Templates (Melanoma, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Small Cell Lung Cancer)
* Colorectal Cancer Screening (V2.2016)
* Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (V2.2017)
For the complete updated versions of the NCCN Guidelines, NCCN Guidelines with NCCN Evidence Blocks™, the NCCN Compendium®, the NCCN Chemotherapy Order Templates (NCCN Templates®), and the NCCN Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria (NCCN Imaging AUC™), please visit NCCN.org.
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- ARIAD Pharmaceuticals is hosting a webcast entitled Advancing the Conversation in ALK+ NSCLC on November 15 at several time during the day. Learn more and register at
www.alknsclcprograms.com (HCP access code: Schedule; select Webinars).
- Astellas Oncology informs ANCO and MOASC there United States Food and Drug Administration has added additional data from the PREVAIL and TERRAIN clinical trials to the Xtandi package insert. Full prescribing information is available at
www.xtandihcp.com.
- Clovis Oncology is hosting several webcasts entitled The Evolving Science of Ovarian Cancer on November 8 and 11. Learn more and register at
www.clovisspeakers.com.
- Eli Lilly and Company has updated MOASC and ANCO that on the October 19, 2016, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lartruvo (olaratumab) injection 10 mg/mL solution in combination with doxorubicin, for the treatment of adult patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) with a histologic subtype for which an anthracycline-containing regimen is appropriate and which is not amenable to curative treatment with radiotherapy or surgery. For more information please visit http://www.LARTRUVO.com/hcp, and for full Prescribing Information.
- Merck informs ANCO and MOASC that the United States Food and Drug Administrationhas added the first-line treatment of patients whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score of 50 percent or more) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations to Keytruda.
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MOASC CALENDAR
LunchTime Series
October 26th
Oncology Roundtable Teleconference
November 30th
ASCO State Affiliate
Meeting in Virginia, VA
October 26th - 28th
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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-online.org
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