March 15, 2022
This Weekly's Hot Topics
  • Join Clinician Volunteer Corps to fielding inquiries from patients, family members, and clinicians in Eastern Europe  National News
 
  • TOMORROW! California Department of Managed Health Care public meeting on Health Care Premium Rates and Prescription Drug Cost Transparency California News
 
  • TOMORROW! Advances in Multiple Myeloma Affiliate Association News/Leukemia & Lymphoma Society News
 
  • THURSDAY! Women leaders in oncology Affiliate Association News/ANCO News

MOASC News
MOASC Programs - Save the Dates - All Times are Pacific
LIVE! MOASC’s 7th Annual Oncology Summit & Research Symposium at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach. On March 26, 2022, this LIVE Meeting will follow a multi-tumor approach with nationally recognized speakers, which will review personalized cancer care and current clinical trials in Breast, Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, Lung, CAR-T/Transplant and Myeloma. This will be a great opportunity to learn from experts and network with colleagues.
Pharmaceutical representatives, if you have any questions contact Wendy Alfaro at moasc@moasc.org.
Don’t miss two upcoming MOASC Targeted Oncology Roundtables. The Virtual Case-Based Roundtable Meetings are a collaborative, small-group meeting designed around case-based clinical profiles and peer-dialogue led by an expert physician. This session offers practicing oncologists the perfect opportunity to sharpen their skills and expertise in treatment strategies. Attendees are paid $500 of compensation by Healthcare Research Analytics® for their attendance, participation & completion of the post-event HRA survey.
·        Program 1, is open to, and intended for, oncologists treating Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: Myelofibrosis and Polycythemia vera. Angela Fleischman, M.D. (UC Irvine) will moderate this program on March 24, 7pm-8:30pm.
·        Program 2, is open to, and intended for, oncologists treating GvHD: Acute & Chronic. Paul Carpenter, M.D. (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) will moderate this program on April 28, 7pm-8:30pm.
MOASC presents, “Disparities in Clinical Trials,” clinical webinar, Thursday, April 7, 5:30pm PDT. This presentation will provide a high level overview of clinical trials, discuss disparities in breast cancer, and a summary of initiatives to better engage with patients. Presented by: Adeline Wang, MD, PhD and Venky Kashi, PhD. Sponsored by Pfizer.
MOASC is pleased to join Rockpointe in presenting “Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers: Current and Emerging Checkpoint Inhibitors for Treating Advanced Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas.” Available until August 2022, this is an on-demand, free CME/CE-certified, webcourse available to MOASC members and to anyone who would like to participate
UC San Diego School of Medicine, Continuing Medical Education presents their Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Care Conference and 5th New Horizons in Immunotherapy for multidisciplinary head and neck cancer providers including medical oncologists, surgeons, speech-language pathologists and other clinical experts relevant to both fields, including laboratory scientists, nurses, residents and social workers. This blend of didactic, interactive experiences highlighting state-of-the-art head and neck cancer management will be presented live on September 22-23, 2022 at the San Diego Marriott Marquis.
In case you were unable to attend, the virtual presentation, "Janssen Compass Patient Support Program" on March 3, 2022 presented by: Brian Drennan, Associate Director, Patient & Caregiver Solutions, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and Cortney Franz, MSN, FNP-C, Oncology Clinical Educator, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, you can listen to the recording here with Passcode: 9$Y1tNsD. If you have any questions, please email Brian Drennan at bdrennan@its.jnj.com or Cortney Franz, MSN, FNP-C at cfranz@its.jnj.com.
Career News

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Clinical Trials News
MOASC Clinical Trial Database is on the MOASC website at www.moasc.org
California News
TOMORROW! March 16, 2022, at 3 p.m., the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) invites you to a public meeting on Health Care Premium Rates and Prescription Drug Cost Transparency to be held on the phone and in San Francisco at the Milton Marks Conference Center at 455 Golden Gate Ave, Lower Level, San Francisco, CA 94102-3688. Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting and provide public comments. Members of the public may listen into the meeting by calling toll-free at 1-888-566-5792 with participant passcode: 11413. You may submit public comment until 5 p.m. on March 26, 2022, to publiccomments@dmhc.ca.gov
The California Cancer Care Equity Act (SB987) will improve cancer care access, cancer care outcomes (i.e., survival), and patient experience by enhancing Medi-Cal patient access to necessary clinical expertise and resources at NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. This is a follow up bill to the Cancer Patients Bill of Rights resolution (SCR 11 – S. Rubio), which was passed unanimously by the California Legislature in 2021, making it the first state in the nation to adopt a bill of rights for cancer patients. The Bill of Rights lays out six rights that every cancer patient should be entitled to, from access to promising new innovations, expert clinicians specializing in various cancer types, and advances in personalized, precision cancer treatments
Medicare News
Noridian News
Starting April 25, 2022, all codes requiring an invoice price including but not limited to A9500 will deny unprocessable if not submitted with a clear total invoice price. 
Noridian Programs
March 17, 2022 Noridian Medicare Portal (NMP) Eligibility Webinar includes: Noridian Medicare Portal, Hours of Availability, Eligibility, MBI Look Up, Resources 
March 29, 2022 Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Part B Billing
This webinar is intended for Part B providers and will include: • Part B Billing Options, Payments and Calculations • Overpayment Process • Forms and Noridian Medicare Portal (NMP) • Avoiding Delays • Resources.
March 30, 2022 - Telehealth Provider Enrolling in Medicare
Learn telehealth regulations and how to enroll in Medicare as a provider or supplier. Learn about eligible providers, originating sites, distant site practitioners, and what type of equipment for communication is necessary for compliance.
April 6, 2022, Physician Assistants and Practice Ownership Webinar includes: Physician Assistant Ownership Interest, Physician Assistant Enrolling in Medicare, Physician Assistant Enrolling as a Sole Proprietor, CMS 855I Initial Enrollment as a Physician Assistant, CMS 855 B Initial Enrollment as a Sole Owner - Physician Assistant, Electronic Funds Transfer Agreement, and Physician Assistant accepting reassignment as the employer. 
CMS News
CMS recently announced it would be giving physician groups participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) more time to apply for an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance waiver due to the ongoing disruptions the COVID-19 public health emergency. Physician groups, virtual groups and alternative payment model (APM) entities now have until March 31, 2022, to apply for a waiver to have their data re-weighted to account for COVID-19 impacts.
Despite the attempt to redesign the controversial payment model, organizations are again calling on CMS and HHS to cancel the ACO REACH model that will replace the Direct Contracting model.
National News
Please complete the form on the following link to join our Clinician Volunteer Corps to work in tandem with the American Cancer Society’s National Cancer Information Center team members in fielding inquiries from patients, family members, and clinicians in Eastern Europe. Thank you for considering this important opportunity to assist cancer patients during this extremely difficult time.
TOMORROW! The Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing on drug pricing. It is expected that Medicare negotiation, PBMs, and insulin prices to be hot topics. We would like to have partners engage before and during the hearing about keeping reforms patient focused, ensuring all market participants are subject to reform (specifically middlemen like PBMs that are driving up costs), and opposing price setting that could limit future innovations/cures.
Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission elected not to investigate PBMs; however, at the same time, they published a request for public comments on the impact of PBMs on patients and other market participants.
A new analysis from the Berkeley Research Group finds that the share of total spending that PBMs and other non-manufacturer entities received from brand medicines increased from 33% in 2013 to nearly 51% in 2020. As patients across the country struggle to afford treatments, we urge Congress to institute reforms to redirect savings from the pockets of middlemen to Americans at the pharmacy counter.  The full report, which can be viewed here, includes important information that will help Congress craft pro-consumer policies.
 
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Texas Medical Association challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ approach to dispute resolution under the No Surprises Act (NSA). The ruling by a Texas judge applies nationwide and means that, barring a higher court’s intervention, the balanced dispute resolution process that Congress created by NSA is restored.
On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it was making more than $560 million in additional Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to more than 4,100 providers across the country. The PRF that has issued nearly $185 billion in financial support to health care providers across the country in the last two years.
Affiliate Association News
ANCO News
March 17, 2022, 12:15pm PT, women leaders in oncology share their experiences with ANCO Connections: What It Is Like to be a Woman Oncology Leader Today.
Applications 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 2022 are now being accepted. Application deadline is March 31.
ASCO News
The Conquer Cancer Patient Advocate Scholarship Program provides scholarships for patient advocates to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting to learn of important advances in their areas of interest. Scholarships help cover travel, hotel, and registration expenses and are based primarily on financial need, advocacy experience, and current advocacy activities and involvement. Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 18 at 9:00am PDT.
Once the application period opens, the link to the application will be available on Cancer.Net
ASH News
Thursday, March 17, 2022, 5:00-6:30 p.m.ET, don't miss this year's virtual Satellite Symposia in conjunction with the 2022 Highlights of ASH featuring: Conversations and Commentaries®: Translating Evolving Data for the Use of BTK Inhibitors in CLL Into Clinical Practice.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society News
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society presents Advances in Multiple Myeloma. This free telephone/web Educational Program is Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 11:00am-12:30pm Pacific.
Learn more about: current and latest advances in treatment; Determining treatment for your myeloma; Managing side effects; The importance of communicating with your treatment team
Industry News
THIS AFTERNOON, March 15 at 3 pm PDT, with Hillary S. Maitland, MD, MS UVA Cancer Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, Sanofi invites you to join them to their virtual educational presentation, entitled: ENJAYMO, the first and only approved treatment in Cold Agglutinin Disease1. Their next presentation will take place THIS THURSDAY, March 17 at 4 pm PDT with Jeremy Lorber, MD Tower Hematology Oncology in Los Angeles, California.
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.