Professional Associations

MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception Application Reopened Following Change Healthcare Cyberattack

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...

ASCO Issues New Guidance on Cannabis and Cannabinoid Use in Adults With Cancer

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.

ASCO Congratulates 2024 Special Awards Recipients

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.

Stage IV NSCLC Living Guidelines Updated

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...

NCCN Updates Treatment Recommendations for Breast, Colorectal, Lung, and other Cancer Types Based on Emerging Evidence

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...

ASCO Policy Statement Calls for Global Equity in Cancer Clinical Trials

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...

New ASCO Guideline on Vaccination of Adults With Cancer

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...

2024 Medicare Provider Conversion Factor Updated to Reflect Federal Spending Legislation

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...

ASCO Coding Tip of the Month: March 2024

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...

Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, Elected as American Association for Cancer Research President- Elect for 2024-2025

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...

NCCN Updates Treatment Recommendations for Breast, Colorectal, Lung, and other Cancer Types Based on Emerging Evidence

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...

New Study Shows Medical Debt Associated With Worse Health Status, More Premature Deaths, and Higher Mortality Rates at the County Level in the U.S.

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...

NIH to Address Dwindling Clinical Trial Patient Enrollment With Centralized Staffing Support

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...

Advocating for Equitable Cancer Care: A Call to Establish Comprehensive Survivorship Programming and Enhance Genetic Testing Discussions

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...

President’s Cancer Panel Issues Recommendations to Advance National Cancer Plan

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....

New Policy Statement Addresses Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors Influencing Cancer Care, Outcomes

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...

American Cancer Society Launches Training and Credentialing Program to Standardize and Support High-Quality Oncology Patient Navigation

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,...

New Paper Finds Barriers to Equitable Discovery and Implementation of Pharmacogenomic Testing in Cancer Care Despite its Power to Improve Patient Outcomes

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...