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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- Doctor shortage in California has prompted the state to pay off med. school loans. California News
- This Saturday, August 17, is the MOASC Spotlight On Oncology. MOASC News
- CMS' new pilot project to give physicians access at the point of care to Medicare claims data. CMS News
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- A doctor shortage in California has prompted the state to take action, including paying off school loans for doctors, but some believe the fixes will do little to address the underlying problems. In addition, on Aug. 6, the California State Auditor released a report that found the state Department of Health Care Services has not ensured an acceptable level of care for some Medi-Cal beneficiaries, who were forced to "travel excessive distances to receive care." After the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, more than four million new people joined the state's Medi-Cal program, according to CalMatters, increasing the pressure on California's health care system.
- The California Department of Health Care Services began the process for transitioning pharmacy services from Managed Care to Fee-for-Service. DHCS held an informational hearing to outline the changes that will occur. DHCS opened bidding for a single Pharmacy Benefit Manager to administer he FFS pharmacy benefits. CPhA will be participating in the comment period and will be submitting a letter warning of the catastrophic impact of a single third-party contracted PBM. You can review the slides presented during the meeting by
clicking here. (Note Slide 12)
- The California Medical Association asks all California practices to schedule appointments with their Members of Congress during the month-long August Congressional Recess, August 1 - September 9, to discuss CMA's Congressional priorities that include the surprise medical billing legislation moving swiftly through Congress. Please let Elizabeth McNeil
emcneil@cmadocs.org
know as soon as you have your appointments scheduled. If you are having trouble, please let Elizabeth know and CMA will help you. CMA may also add some CMA and specialty society leaders to your meetings. It is extremely important that California physicians and practice leaders meet with every California Member of Congress during August if organized medicine is to prevail on the surprise billing legislation. CMA has organized three conference calls to educate the MEC and physician leaders about these issues, review the talking points, and answer any of your questions. Please feel free to join any of the following call TODAY, Tuesday, August 6, 2019: 6:30-7:30 pm; 1 866 906 7447; passcode 8025862#.
Please give the following documents to your Representatives:
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Announcements:
Hospice: FY2020 Hospice Payment Rate Final Rule; New Medicare Card: Will Your Claims Reject? SNF PPS Patient Driven Payment Model: Get Ready for Implementation on October 1; Quality Payment Program: Reporting Patient Relationship Categories; Skilled Nursing Facility 3-Day Rule Billing
Events:
Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule: Understanding 3 Key Topics Listening Session-August 12; OPPS and ASC Proposed Rule Listening Session-August 14; Radiation Oncology Model Listening Session-August 22;
Publications:
October Quarterly Update to 2019 Annual Update of HCPCS Codes used for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB) Enforcement; Update for Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule and Laboratory Services Subject to Reasonable Charge Payment
* Educational Events-August 2019
* MBI on Remittance Advice
Forthcoming Noridian JEMAC meetings/webinars/workshops
* Noridian Medicare Portal Registration for Part A, B, and DME Users Webinar (August 20)
* Submitting Your Enrollment Online-Part 1 (I&A) Webinar (August 21)
* MSP Employer Based Plans Webinar (August 21)
* Understanding National and Local Coverage Determinations Webinar (August 22)
* Basic Non Covered Services Webinar (August 27)
* Guidance for Date of Service Billing on Professional Claims-30 Minute Webinar (August 28)
* Drugs and Biologics-Outpatient Billing Webinar (September 10)
* Recovery Auditor Program Webinar (September 12)
* Submitting Your Enrollment Online-Part 2 (PECOS) Webinar (September 18)
* Common Errors on all Application Types Webinar (October 9)
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- This Saturday, August 17 is the MOASC Spotlight On Oncology in Huntington Beach.
Through a restricted grant from MOASC, selected oncology fellows and faculty from the University of California, Irvine present the premier topics from their attendance at the 2019 Annual ASCO meeting. The presentations promote collegial discourse among colleagues along with networking in an informal setting. Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Speakers and topics include:
*
Sarmad Sadeghi, M.D., PhD,
Keck School of Medicine, USC will speak on Genitourinary Cancer Updates.
*
Reva K. Basho, M.D.,
Cedars-Sinai, will present Breast Cancer Updates
*
Afsaneh M. Barzi, M.D.,
Keck School of Medicine, USC will address GI Cancer Updates: Colorectal Cancer, Hepatobiliary/Pancreas Cancers
*
Farshid Dayyani, M.D., PhD,
UC Irvine Health will discuss GI Cancer Updates: Gastroesophageal Cancers
*
Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou, M.D., PhD
, UC Irvine Health will talk on Lung Cancer Updates,
and
*John Fruehauf, M.D., PhD,
UC Irvine Health will go into Melanoma Updates.
- ATTENTION PHYSICIANS, NURSES, PHARMACISTS AND ALL CLINICAL STAFF! Save the date for the MOASC LunchTime Series webinar, "The Venetoclax CLL Scientific Story." The webinar will include:
1. A review of the indications and important safety information for Venetoclax.
2. Examining Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Disease Landscape.
3. Evaluating the efficacy results of Venetoclax in CLL patients.
4. Understanding the adverse reactions and important safety considerations of Venetoclax.
- Renew your MOASC Membership TODAY to continue your investment in your state association! MOASC continues to advance oncology in California with your support and membership in MOASC. In 2018, MOASC successfully worked to create the California Cancer Caucus in Sacramento. YOU, the California oncologist, are the reason for MOASC's existence. MOASC advocates diligently insuring your ability to serve the California oncology community.
You can renew your membership in two ways:
Print the application
HERE. With your check made payable to: Medical Oncology Association of Southern California, Inc., mail the completed application to: P.O. Box 161, Upland, CA 91785.
OR
We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with benefits you will not want to miss.
If you have any questions, please contact the MOASC Office at 909-985-9061 ext.1 or at
moasc@moasc.org.
- Mark your calendars for the "MOASC Educational Series Program," administrator track & billing track, on Thursday, November 14, 2019. This year's program will highlight administrator issues as: Protecting Data in the Healthcare Industry; Secrets of successful provider contracting; Creating a custom website to drive patient growth and make your practice stand out.The current billing & collection issues and strategies to be addressed: billing & coding updates for 2020; MACRA Quality Measures guide; MIPS; G-Codes; Claims Review; Reporting and Returning Overpayments; Medicare Fraud and Abuse Penalties; Claim Denials - Understand why the claim was denied; Medicare Appeals Processes.
- Mark your calendars NOW for the 7th Annual MOASC Oncology Summit, March 14, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. From 2014 through 2019, the MOASC Oncology Summit has highlighted cutting-edge topics presented by world-renowned physicians. From topics like: Decoding Molecular Medicine's "nibs" and "mabs" to Personalizing Cancer Care in the Era of Multiple Therapies and Diagnostic Tools to Harnessing the Power of Immunotherapy, and this year's Advancing Cancer Care in the Elderly; unlike any other, MOASC has brought to southern California physicians the most contemporary topics for presentation and discussion among colleagues. You will not want to miss our 2020 program!
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- ANCO Institutional Member UC San Francisco invites ANCO and MOASC members to the 5th International Controversies in Breast Cancer Care Conference--When is Less More? on September 4-6 in San Francisco. According to Laura Esserman, MD, MBA-- "The program is really provocative. It is designed to make people question long held beliefs! International speakers talking about all topics that are pertinent to breast cancer. This has fun and exciting topics from imaging and genetics to issues for survivors. We have a particularly great program around imaging this year as there are many new developments to discuss. We have tried to identify the most controversial topics across early and late stage cancer, and the debate style format will be very stimulating and fun! We even have a session on why people are not swayed by data, and the FDA will come to speak about why they are interested in Real World Evidence. I would really encourage those who are interested to attend! We have a low registration price for advocates ($200) and students. " Download the meeting flyer!
- ANCO annually funds one
Young Investigator Award
(YIA) for a qualified Northern California early-career cancer researcher through Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation.
We encourage all eligible Northern California Fellows and Trainees to apply. The YIA is a one-year, $50,000 grant that provides research funding to promising physicians to support their transition from final years of subspecialty training to faculty appointment and to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. In addition, ANCO funds two
Merit Awards
for the 2020 ASCO Annual Meeting and an award to attend the 6th Annual Scientific and Career Development Retreat in October 2020, which is by invitation only. Learn more at
https://anco.org/membership/fellow-benefits/
. For questions about eligibility and the application, please contact Conquer Cancer at
grants@conquer.org
.
- SAVE THE DATE for ANCO's 3Q2019 Hematologic Malignancies Updates: Leukemias, Lymphomas, & Myeloma taking place at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency on September 14. Watch for a meeting announcement in early August.
- SAVE THE DATE FOR ANCO's
Annual Professional Education Meeting 2019 at The Claremont Resort in Berkeley on October 17
. Watch for a meeting announcement in early August.
- Follow ANCO on Twitter at
@ANCO News
.
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National News
- More than 24 health care organizations have supported a proposal to require the use of US Postal Service standards for addresses in EHRs. Some also suggest using additional data captured in EHRs, such as email addresses and phone numbers, to improve patient matching. A recent study found that adopting the USPS standard could reduce the number of unlinked records by 20%, and standardizing surname as well could cut the number of unmatched records in half.
- A coalition of labor, business, patient groups, and health care providers united to form a new initiative called the PBM Accountability Project of New Hampshire. The group will collaborate on real and effective solutions to drive prescription drug savings back to patients and purchasers. You can
read the press release here.
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CMS News
- A new pilot project from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will give physicians access at the point of care to Medicare claims data for new patients through Blue Button 2.0 data as well as third-party applications and electronic health records (EHRs) data, via application programming interfaces (APIs). Read more
- Proposed changes to CPT code 99457 and a new code, 994X0, in the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule would expand coverage of remote patient monitoring. The change to 99457 covers the first 20 minutes, and the new code covers subsequent 20-minute intervals of provider interaction during remote physiologic monitoring treatment management services, and the proposal would expressly allow billing by supervised auxiliary personnel under CPT code 99457. mHealth Intelligence
- Proposed revisions to the CMS' Merit-Based Incentive Payment System are designed to alleviate challenges with MIPS reporting and the Quality Payment Program, which 80% of group practice leaders called their top regulatory burden in a 2018 Medical Group Management Association survey. Providers will have a "transitional" year in 2020 before the changes take effect.
RevCycle Intelligence
- CMS has released its proposed rule for the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and other changes to Medicare Part B and the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Read Bobbi Buell's preliminary
analysis
.
- CMS has posted the
final decision memo
for CAR-T therapy for cancers
. The final decision memo removed the coverage with evidence development requirement and provides coverage for products for either United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA)-approved indications (according to the label) or for off-label uses of USFDA-approved products supported in one or more CMS-approved compendia.
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Affiliate Association News
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- Register, and save money, during advance registration to secure your place at the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, December 7-10, 2019. The meeting will provide invaluable education, science, and networking opportunities. Advance registration and housing will be available to all beginning tomorrow, August 14 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time, and not one minute before, at https://show.jspargo.com/asham19/ssologin.aspx. If you experience difficulties accessing registration when it opens, please copy and paste the link to your web browser. To register, you will need to sign in 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. Please note that SPARGO, Inc. is the only official housing and registration provider for the 61st ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.
- ACCC's 2019 Patient Assistance & Reimbursement Guide has the most up-to-date information on cancer drug assistance and reimbursement programs to help your patients alleviate the financial burden of their treatment. Download the
2019 Summer Update
.
- 3 weeks remain to get your representative and senator to your office and sit in your patient's chair! During the August congressional recess (August 1 - September 9) get your representative and senator to your practice, NOW! COA continues to make organizing a policymaker visit easy with the new and improved
Sit in My Chair toolkit. It offers everything your practice needs to curate a moving and memorable experience, from checking policymakers into your waiting room, walking them through diagnosis, having them sit in a chemotherapy chair for treatment, and more. It is important to put a human face on tough issues. That is what helps policymakers appreciate the important role of community oncology in patients' lives and our cancer care system.
- COA is reaching out for any new PBM horror stories you want to share. Please submitthem! COA is on a roll this year with pitching these, including national
Marketplace NPR
(14 million listeners),
The Atlantic
(33.7 average monthly readers), not to mention stories in the
Times Picayune
, and fantastic series from the
Columbus Dispatch
. There is a LOT of interest in PBM atrocities affecting patients' access to cancer care. This is where you come in. COA needs more stories, preferably fresh and active. They might be "old news" to you or the same old problem, but to reporters they are a big deal. Send your PBM experiences to Nicolas Ferreyros,
Director of Communications, Community Oncology Alliance (COA
nferreyros@coacancer.org
- Check out the COA PBM Abuses campaign website at
www.PBMAbuses.org
and share it with your networks.
The stories you submit are also there in videos, advertising, and more. They really help COA put a patient face on these issues. Thanks and please send any PBM horror stories you have to: nferreyros@coacancer.org.
- The ASCO Oncology Practice Conference, September 5, in San Diego will focus on the business of cancer care addressing the needs of practice administration and operations, with timely and practice strategies for the challenges faced by all those involved in the business of cancer care. Learn more and register at
https://meetings.asco.org/opc/register
.
- The ASCO Quality Care Symposium, September 6-7 in San Diego, encompasses the latest strategies and methods for quantification of patient experience, provider efficiency, clinical outcomes, and quality and safety in the cancer care field. The Symposium will include a variety of sessions that will cover the latest science in precision and personalized medicine. This meeting will bring leaders in quality improvement science together to participate in stimulating conversation with opportunities for networking among physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and others.
ASCO Quality Care Symposium
.
- Join ASH on September 6-7, 2019, for the 2019 ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies, at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, to gain knowledge that can help you make an immediate impact in your practice. Top experts in the field, will present comprehensive clinical content, the latest clinical research, and opportunities to interact with colleagues in an intimate, small group setting with no competing sessions. The program content will be structured as "How I Treat" presentations, which will highlight each speaker's evidence-based treatment approaches, present cutting-edge scientific data that can be translated into new strategies for diagnosis and treatment, and address what to do in cases where there is no data. For more details, or to register, please visit the
ASH Website
.
- Round 2 registration is now open, and data submission will run from July 1 to December 3, 2019, for ASCO's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative. QOPI is an oncologist-led, practice-based quality assessment program for outpatient oncology clinics. Register for QOPI at
https://myqopi.asco.org/registration/login.aspx
.
- Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, has awarded more than $126 million through nearly 2,100 grants and awards to medical students, trainees, young scientists, and oncologists at all stages of their careers. Many of ASCO's funding opportunities are currently accepting applications. While eligibility criteria differ for each award, all grants require that applicants be a member of ASCO to apply.
Join ASCO
and submit your grant application today! Highlighted funding opportunities include: Young Investigators Award; Global Oncology Young Investigators Award; Career Development Award; Gateway Discovery Grant in Immunotherapy Research. For detailed information regarding eligibility criteria for each funding opportunity and its application process, please select the name of the grant above, or
view all available funding opportunities
through Conquer Cancer®.
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- Merck
informed MOASC and ANCO that KEYTRUDA has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus whose tumors express PD-L1 [combined positive score (CPS) ≥10] as determined by an FDA-approved test, with disease progression after one or more prior lines of systemic therapy. Before prescribing KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), please read the Prescribing Information. The Medication Guide also is available.
- Genentech BioOncology informs ANCO and MOASC that it will host a clinical presentation entitled Considerations for Tailoring First-Line Follicular Lymphoma Treatment with John Pawloski, MD, PhD, University of Arizona Cancer Center at Dignity Health, on Friday, August 16 at The Claremont Hotel. Register online at
www.geniersvp.com
with reference code 25040 or with Glory Ariche, (650) 291-5922 or
ariche.glory@gene.com
.
- InformedDNA informs ANCO and MOASC that it is now an in-network genetic counseling provider for Anthem BlueCross of California. Learn more at
https://anco.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/InformedDNA-Anthem-CA-Announcement.pdf
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MOASC CALENDAR
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ANCO's 3Q2019 He
matologic Malignancies Updates: Leukemias, Lymphomas, & Myeloma
(Sacramento, September 14)
(NCCN, San Francisco, September 27)
(NCCN, San Francisco, September 27-28)
ANCO Annual Professional Education Meeting 2019 (Berkeley, October 17)
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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.org
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