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.
December 3, 2019
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- Today is#GivingTuesday, the day when millions of people come together to support the causes and issues that matter to them. Affiliate Association News
- 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition Dec. 7-10 MOASC News
- One week left to take action for 2020 Tricare coverage National News
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Anthem's Provider News for December 2019 is now available online at
https://www.anthem.com/ca/provider/news/ and includes information about Contracted Provider Dispute Resolution, Practice Status-Open or Closed, Clinical Practice and Preventive Health Guidelines Available on the Web, Release of Medical Records, Pharmacy Information Available Online, Reminder: Changes to Timely Filing Requirements, Contracted Provider Claim Escalation Process, Provider Education Seminars, Webinars, Workshops and More!, Anthem Blue Cross Provider Directory and Provider Data Updates, An Overview of Our Medical Necessity Review Process.
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- The Jurisdiction E Part B Local Coverage Determination (LCDs) and Local Coverage Articles (LCAs) have been created and published for notice under contract numbers: 01112 (NCA), 01182 (SCA), 01212 (AS, GU, HI, NMI), and 01312 (NV). Read the complete update
- Noridian/JEMAC has the following updates on their website
Announcements:
FY2019 Medicare FFS Improper Payment Rate Lowest Since 2010; Patients Over Paperwork Newsletter
Publications:
Claim Status Category and Claim Status Codes Update; Update to Medicare Deductible, Coinsurance and Premium Rates for Calendar Year (CY) 2020; Changes to the Laboratory National Coverage Determination (NCD) Edit Software for January 2020-Revised; Quality Payment Program: MIPS and APM Resources;
* MLN Connects-November 27, 2019
Forthcoming Noridian JEMAC meetings/webinars/workshops
* Noridian Medicare Portal Registration for Part A, B, and
* Using the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) Webinar (December 3)
* New Provider Enrollment Rebuttal Process Webinar (December 4)
* Drug Units in Excess of MUE: Comparative Billing Report Webinar (December 4)
* Using the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) Webinar (December 19)
For more information and to register visit:
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- 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 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!
- MOASC Member, City of Hope CME presents: Immunotherapy of Cancer: CAR T Cell to Checkpoint Inhibitors March 18, 2020 to March 21, 2020 @ Waldorf Astoria, Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information click
here
and to register go to
https://cme.cityofhope.org/eventinfo_11295.html
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- REGISTER for
Best of SABCS Northern California
taking place in Berkeley on January 11.
Best of SABCS
is cosponsored by ANCO and
Encore Medical Education
.
- REGISTER for the
20th Multidisciplinary Management of Cancers: A Case-based Approach
taking place in Napa on March 13-15.
- ANCO physician members should have received an e-mail instructing them on how to vote in the 2019 Annual Election that is being conducted online from now through the end of December. If you have not received an e-mail, then please contact ANCO at courtney@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
- The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (
ICER) is seeking nominations for new members to join its independent evidence review groups:
Independent panel members debate the evidence on the effectiveness and value of new drugs and other health care interventions at ICER public meetings.
- There is one week left to take action for 2020 Tricare coverage.
Two open seasons are underway. Both will end next Monday, Dec. 9 to make changes to the TRICARE health plan, or enroll in a dental or vision plan with the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. To learn more, read the full article.
- UnitedHealthcare's Network Bulletin for December 2019 is now available online
https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/resources/news/2019/network-bulletin/December-2019-Network-Bulletin.pdf. Of interest is UnitedHealthcare will reward care providers through their new Cancer Therapy Pathways Program, which UHC claims will promote the use of evidence-based and cost-effective regimens. READ MORE...
- The FDA indicated in its fall regulatory agenda that it could unveil a drug importation proposal next month following President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to allow state governments to buy cheaper drugs from Canada. The proposal is facing resistance from US drugmakers, and Kirsten Hillman, Canada's acting ambassador to the US, said the country's drug industry is too small to supply cheaper medicines to the US.
The Hill
- Healthcare practice leaders should prepare for the coming year this month by reflecting on practice accomplishments in 2019 and setting goals for 2020
. Identify and prioritize business problems, seek in-depth feedback from staff and write down and share goals with your team to ensure your practice is ready to improve in the new year. Read further at
Modern Medicine/Medical Economics
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CMS News
- Physicians have until December 31, 2019 to review and dispute their 2018 open payments data reported by CMS earlier this year. To learn more and review your data go to
https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
.
- The 2019 MIPS performance year is coming upon its final month and there are important steps participants can take to ensure successful data reporting. For participants utilizing EHR vendors to submit MIPS data, make time to check-in with those vendors to ensure they are on track to submit data during the submission period early next year. Those that qualify will receive re-weighting of one or more MIPS performance categories.
- CMS is testing two direct contracting models that will qualify as alternative payment models in 2021 and the agency is considering a third model. The "Professional" option has a lower risk while the "Global" option is a 100% shared savings/shared loss risk for all Medicare part A and B services. Healthcare Finance
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Affiliate Association News
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- Today is #GivingTuesday, the day when millions of people come together to support the causes and issues that matter to them. For your consideration, following are some organizations and their donation matching.
1) Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, has supported more than 2,100 research projects in the hopes of improving treatments for every cancer, every patient, everywhere.
2) National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) depends on your support. You make it all possible. Every donation matters and every dollar makes a difference and will be matched up to $10,000. You have through Dec. 31 to maximize this opportunity, so don't wait. Make your #GivingTuesday contribution today and double your impact!
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Register now
and join ACCC and legal experts from Hogan Lovells for a one-hour overview and discussion about CMS
CY 2020 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rules on Thursday, December 5 at 11AM PST.
- ASCO has launched a new payment reform model to transform cancer care delivery and enhance the quality of patient care. The Patient-Centered Oncology Payment (PCOP) modelis uniquely positioned to confront care delivery challenges in an increasingly complex medical specialty. Learn more
here
.
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ASCO Education Essentials for Oncology Fel
lows
include access to over 100 up-to-date clinical care eLearning courses and
ASCO's Meeting Library, where you can view presentation videos and slides from ASCO Annual Meetings and Symposia.
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Register now
for the ONS-ASCO webinar entitled Offering Clinical Trials Can Make a Difference: Patient and Care Team Perspectives
taking place on December 11 at 12pm PS.
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The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has issued a call for public input to help identify and prioritize non-drug topics for ICER assessments in 2020. While ICER is most known for reviews of emerging pharmaceuticals, ICER also conducts many assessments of devices, procedures, and other health systems innovations. These assessments have spanned a wide range of areas, including breast cancer screening. For 2020, ICER is considering selecting two or more non-drug topics. Topic selections criteria are available here. Importantly, for 2020 ICER hopes to identify topics that fit within one of two broad categories: 1) common interventions that may be priced far higher than their clinical value; and 2) new, promising interventions for vulnerable populations that may currently be underappreciated by clinicians and/or insurers. The Public Comments will be accepted from all interested stakeholders until December 13, 2019 at 2 p.m. PT. There are no page limits for these submissions, and all comments are to be e-mailed to publiccomments@icer-review.org. The final decision on the topic for each ICER review will be announced at the outset of the review process. The review process begins approximately eight months prior to a corresponding public meeting held under the auspices of one of ICER's three public programs -- the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF), the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (Midwest CEPAC), and the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). Apart from this formal Public Comment process on non-drug topics, other topic suggestions are always welcome. Submissions can be made at any time via this online form.
- NCCN has published updated guidelines at
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Industry News
- Accepted as a late-breaking abstract, Amgen will present, at ASH 2019, results from their Phase 3 Candor study evaluating Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) in combination with Darzalex® (daratumumab) in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients read corporate press release. 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 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.
- Astellas will present new data on XOSPATA® (gilteritinib) in FLT3 Mutation-Positive Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia at ASH 2019. Emerging mutations in patients with treatment resistance, from Phase 3 ADMIRAL study, will be focus of oral presentation. read corporate press release
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MOASC CALENDAR
California PBMs
December 2
December 5
December 9
Spotlight On Hematology
February 1, 2020
City of Hope CME presents: Immunotherapy of Cancer: CAR T Cell to Checkpoint Inhibitors
March 18-21, 2020
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(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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