Posted July 11, 2024
COA applauds the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for today’s release of an interim report examining the negative impact of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs. The interim FTC report details what COA has long known about these dangerous, highly consolidated middlemen. Today, only three PBMs control nearly 80 percent...
Posted July 11, 2024
Each August, Congress and state legislatures recess so they can take time away from Washington to meet with constituents in their states and districts. This presents a prime opportunity to engage them on the issues impacting community oncology. Join COA’s advocacy experts on Tuesday, July 16, at 12 p.m. ET to learn about the Sit...
Posted July 11, 2024
ASCO thanks lawmakers for their bipartisan support of federal cancer research in the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS draft bill for Fiscal Year 2025. ASCO urges increases in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and other agencies to further advance scientific research. For FY 2025, the House is allocating $48.581...
Posted July 11, 2024
On July 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2025. CMS also released the CY 2025 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule. These proposals...
Posted July 11, 2024
The Evidence Based Medicine Committee has delegated the identification and prioritization of guideline topics to Guideline Advisory Groups (AGs). The AGs will consider topics suggested by the ASCO membership when revisiting current priorities in the fall. To submit a new topic or guideline update for consideration, please complete this form. Please make your topic submission...
Posted June 27, 2024
COA loudly applauds the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce for their bipartisan markup and unanimous 43-0 passage of H.R. 5526, the Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024. Now we urge House leadership and the Senate to continue momentum on fixing this important issue for patients. COA is particularly grateful to...
Posted June 27, 2024
ASTRO published today an updated clinical guideline that details best practices for using radiation therapy to treat patients who have oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Recommendations address radiation therapy as a standalone curative treatment or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. The guideline also covers treatment planning and response...
Posted June 27, 2024
On June 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will conclude on July 12, 2024. CMS will continue to monitor for other effects of the cyberattack on Medicare providers and suppliers and will continue to...
Posted June 24, 2024
NCCN announced new recognitions for the award-winning library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients® and NCCN Patient Webinars. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Colon Cancer earned a Gold Award from Hermes Creative Awards for Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media/Digital Publications/Messaging.
Posted June 24, 2024
ASCO has updated two guidelines rapidly based on Annual Meeting plenary presentations. In early June, the Management of Stage III NSCLC posted. Recommendation 5.8 states that patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC with an EGFR exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R mutation may be offered consolidation osimertinib after definitive chemoradiotherapy*. (Evidence quality: Moderate; Strength...
Posted June 24, 2024
ASCO has recently updated its position statement on the home infusion of anticancer therapies, in response to updates to ASCO/ONS antineoplastic administration-related safety standards. You can read the statement on home infusion of anticancer therapies here. For ASCO’s full library of policy and position statements, please Read More HERE>>
Posted June 24, 2024
Delegates from ASCO participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) June 7-12 in Chicago. The AMA HOD is the principal policy-making body of AMA and meets twice a year to discuss pressing issues and establish AMA policies. ASCO created and was the primary sponsor of six...
Posted June 7, 2024
While the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is pleased the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is updating the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM), more must be done. CMMI’s updates come in direct response to feedback from COA on how the EOM must be improved to better support oncology practices and the patients they serve. CMMI...
Posted June 7, 2024
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has submitted comments encouraging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to work with cancer care stakeholders to arrive at real, actionable solutions to improve Medicare Advantage (MA) and bolster access to quality, cost-effective cancer care. In its response to CMS’ Request for Information (RFI) on Medicare Advantage Data...
Posted June 7, 2024
The American Cancer Society (ACS) released “Cancer in People who Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Gender-nonconforming (LGBTQ+)”. The article provides the latest statistics on the prevalence of cancer screening and modifiable risk factors in LGBTQ+ populations, as well as a review of literature on cancer occurrence and obstacles to cancer prevention and...
Posted June 7, 2024
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released, “Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Oncology,” to guide ASCO’s consideration of all aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). With this manuscript, the Society joins colleagues across medicine in offering principles that should be applied in development and implementation of AI. The principles are offered...
Posted June 7, 2024
The ASCO Nominating Committee is seeking recommendations for potential candidates for the upcoming ASCO election, for service beginning in June 2025. All members are invited to recommend individuals you believe possess the qualities needed to lead the Society in the future. Your participation in this process will help ensure that our Society’s leaders represent the...
Posted June 7, 2024
This overview of ethics in oncology highlights key issues in the field, tracing their evolution from historical contexts to present-day challenges, such as navigating cancer treatment during pregnancy and health care disparities faced by the LGBTQ+ community. The authors also consider the ethical implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and big data, in clinical...
Posted June 7, 2024
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today announced an expanded collaboration to make it simpler for patients to find authoritative cancer information online. The partnership between ASCO, the leading organization for cancer care providers, and ACS, the leading patient education, support, and advocacy organization in cancer, will create...
Posted May 30, 2024
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) published an updated clinical guideline that details best practices for treating patients who have symptomatic bone metastases and ways to improve their quality of life. The guideline is available as a free access article in Practical Radiation Oncology, ASTRO’s clinical practice journal. Many types of cancer can spread...
Posted May 30, 2024
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has approved funding for $28 million in new Extramural Discovery Science (EDS) research and career development grants. The awards will fund investigators at institutions across the United States starting in July 2024. “We are very proud to announce these new grant awardees and their critically important research projects,” said Dr....
Posted May 30, 2024
On May 17, the Selection of Germline Genetic Testing Panels in Patients with Cancer: ASCO Guideline was published. Patients should have a family history taken and recorded that includes details of cancers in first- and second-degree relatives and the patient’s ethnicity. When more than one gene is relevant based on personal and/or family history, multigene...
Posted May 30, 2024
On May 16, the Management of Fatigue in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update was published. Clinicians should not recommend L-carnitine, antidepressants, wakefulness agents, or routinely recommend psychostimulants to manage symptoms of cancer-related fatigue. An algorithm, recommendations table, slides, and podcast accompany the guideline.
Posted May 30, 2024
On May 15, the Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer: ASCO-SIO Guideline Update was published. Evidence-based recommendations address the integration of palliative care in oncology. Oncology clinicians should refer patients with advanced solid tumors and hematologic malignancies to specialized interdisciplinary palliative care teams that provide outpatient and inpatient care beginning early in the course of...
Posted March 28, 2024
CMS reopened the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Extreme & Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception Application for 2023 due to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. Clinicians who have not yet submitted their 2023 MIPS data to CMS, can submit hardship exemption requests for one or more performance categories until April 15, 2024, at 8 pm ET. The...
Posted March 28, 2024
Many Americans use cannabis and cannabinoids. In response to this reality, ASCO has issued a guideline for clinicians, adults with cancer, caregivers, and researchers on their medical use. The recommendations cover all cancer types and address products ranging from synthetic cannabinoids to full-spectrum cannabis.
Posted March 28, 2024
ASCO and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, will recognize researchers, patient advocates, philanthropists, teachers, and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world with the Society’s highest honors at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.
Posted March 26, 2024
On February 28, the Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer without Driver Alterations Comprehensive Living Guideline Update published. Evidence-based recommendations were updated to address first, second, and subsequent treatment options for patients without driver alterations. An algorithm, recommendations table, slides, podcast, and pocketcard accompany the guideline. In addition, the Therapy for Stage IV...
Posted March 23, 2024
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is announcing several new updates to the cancer treatment practices listed in the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). The evidence-based expert consensus recommendations are the most frequently updated guidelines for any area of medicine and are used by cancer care providers worldwide to stay up to...
Posted March 23, 2024
On March 14, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)’s new policy statement which, in JCO Global Oncology, explains how global equity can be advanced by diversifying trial representation, increasing access to resources, and strengthening research capacity on a global scale. The statement details several ways the global oncology community can work together to make...
Posted March 23, 2024
A new ASCO guideline recommends several vaccinations for adult patients with solid or hematologic malignancies due to their heightened infection risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses. The guidance covers the essential questions of which vaccines to give, to whom, when, and which ones to avoid due to potential risks. It also states that optimizing vaccination status should...
Posted March 23, 2024
In early March, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which included a +1.68% adjustment to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) conversion factor (CF) for the remainder of calendar year (CY) 2024. This increase results in a 1.68% reduction to the 3.37% CF cut finalized in the 2024 MPFS final Rule. CMS...
Posted March 23, 2024
This month’s coding tip features a new code covered in ASCO’s Care Management and SDOH G Comparison resource is G0136, established by Medicare this year to capture the administration of a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Risk Assessment tool. G0136 accounts for 5-15 minutes of administering the tool, and time may also contribute to other...
Posted March 23, 2024
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Lillian L. Siu, MD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, as the AACR President-Elect for 2024- 2025. Siu will become President-Elect on Monday, April 8, during the AACR’s Annual Business Meeting of Members at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego, California. She...
Posted March 18, 2024
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is announcing several new updates to the cancer treatment practices listed in the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). The evidence-based expert consensus recommendations are the most frequently updated guidelines for any area of medicine and are used by cancer care providers worldwide to stay up to...
Posted March 18, 2024
New findings led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers shows medical debt was associated with more days of poor physical and mental health, more years of life lost, and higher mortality rates for all-cause and leading causes of death at the county level in the United States. The study is published today in the Journal...
Posted March 6, 2024
A new initiative by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, aims to tackle the steep decline in participation in NCI-funded cancer clinical trials that is due in part to clinical trials staffing shortages that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These shortfalls have hampered clinical trials activities across the...
Posted March 6, 2024
Two new measurements have been added to the Health Equity Report Card (HERC)—a tool for improving the quality and equity of cancer care. The new measures were put forth by a multi-disciplinary working group of experts in community oncology and agreed to by the original Elevating Cancer Equity working group members who drafted the original...
Posted March 6, 2024
Yesterday the President’s Cancer Panel issued a report on the National Cancer Plan, which aims to reduce cancer mortality by at least 50% over 25 years and enhance the well-being of individuals and families affected by cancer. The report is derived from the panel’s September 2023 stakeholder meeting, in which ASCO and other organizations participated....
Posted March 6, 2024
ASCO’s new policy statement highlights the need for formalized efforts to address health- related social needs and outlines ways to address social determinants of health (SDOH) in cancer care. Social determinants are defined as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, which may include underlying social, economic, and environmental conditions. The...
Posted March 6, 2024
The American Cancer Society announced the launch of the American Cancer Society Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LIONTM) program, a national training and credentialing program that is working with oncology organizations to standardize high-quality, expert patient navigation for persons with cancer and their caregivers. Oncology navigation professionals work with patients within clinics and community-based settings,...
Posted March 6, 2024
A new paper released today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology finds that while incorporating pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing into cancer care can help improve patient outcomes, barriers to PGx testing, discovery, and implementation are impacting its adoption and creating disparities that impact diverse populations. A component of precision medicine, PGx testing examines how variations in...
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