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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ONCOLOGISTS
NO MORE DUES!
The Maryland and District of Columbia Society of Clinical Oncology now offers FREE professional memberships to physician oncologists. Click here for the flyer. As a member, you get the following benefits:
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Upcoming Virtual Events
Industry Spotlight
December 2 and 9, 2020
6:30-9:30pm
This event is open to all MDCSCO Physician and Allied Professional Members. Free but registration is required. Two sessions available! Register here for December 2 and here for December 9.
The Pfizer Oncology team has created a Speaker Program On Demand Site that now houses a program presented by Jennifer R. Klemp, PhD, MPH, entitled Addressing Cancer Health Disparities: Understanding Drivers and Looking Toward Change. This program is for healthcare professionals and illustrates the disparate health outcomes that exist across the cancer care continuum. The program provides an understanding of the factors contributing to healthcare disparities, the effect on health outcomes, and potential approaches to overcoming barriers that may negate optimal cancer care in vulnerable populations. Click here to review the program brochure.
Member News
Arun Bhandari, MDCSCO board member, has just been named to serve on the Maryland Health Care Commission. He also serves on the Maryland State Council of Cancer Control. Dr. Bhandari is with Chesapeake Oncology Hematology Associates in Annapolis.
CMS has released the OPPS and PFS proposed rules for 2021.
Comments are due by October 5th at 5:00 pm ET. Key takeaways are available for the OPPS and PFS from our corporate partner J&J.
ASCO Virtual Advocacy Day - September 16, 2020
Click here to view the attendees.
Current News
- October 13, 2020 - The Latest Circuit Court Ruling on 340B Program Effect on Practices, Find out more
- October 8, 2020 - On October 2, after consultation with public health officials, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, pursuant to the authority vested in him under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, renewed the public health emergency effective October 23, 2020.
- October 6, 2020 - Supreme Court scrutinizes Arkansas law that regulates PBM payments to pharmacies, Find out more
- September 29, 2020 - Insurers Move to Stop Waiving Telehealth Copays - Find out more
- September 18, 2020 - CMS Finalizes Radiation Oncology Model - Find out more
- September 16, 2020 - AACR Releases Its Inaugural Cancer Disparities Report - Find out more
- September 1, 2020 - CMS Quietly Resumes Practice Audits, Find out more
ONLINE RESOURCES
RxVantage recently shared a panel discussion of oncology experts from around the country who have exhibited impressive leadership amid COVID-19. These executives met via video conference to share experiences, discuss strategies that have worked (as well as those that have not), and their plans for moving forward. Click below to view each presentation:
- Oncology Operational Excellence During COVID-19
- Oncology Leaders Address Reopening: Oncology Operational Excellence Roundtable
- RxVantage COVID-19 Reopening Playbook: Customizable protocols to safely reopen your practice for vendor/rep visits
Corporate Members
Affiliates
New Strategies magazine - The Changing Face of the Oncology Practice
Click here for past issues of Strategies
On October 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to delay the start date of the Radiation Oncology (RO) model until July 1, 2021. The change comes following stakeholder concerns—the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) among them—about the challenges of implementing the model by the initial start date, January 1, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more
ASCO COVID-19 Telehealth Updates, May 8, 2020
Click HERE to view the slide presentation from the webinar.
CMS Finalizes FY 2021 Inpatient Rule
On September 2, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the FY 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule. ASH submitted comments in July on the proposed rule. The Society is pleased that many of the provisions ASH supported have been finalized, including the creation of a new Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Immunotherapy, now the highest weighted MS-DRG with an unadjusted national base payment of around $240,000. CMS also finalized its proposal to exclude clinical trial cases from the calculation of the weight of the new MS-DRG in order to account for the cost differentiation between clinical trial and non-clinical trial cases. CMS’s final ruling on CAR-T reimbursement is a major advocacy win for ASH!
ASH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts
Help ASH eliminate inequities in hematology by getting involved with our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. ASH has created an online library related to its programs in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which includes a growing archive of stories from diverse voices in hematology.
Learn more
CMS Releases Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
On August 3, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2021 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. CMS is not proposing any changes to the values of the outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) services finalized in the CY 2020 rulemaking. If this rule is finalized as proposed, hematology/oncology is projected to see an increase of 14% in 2021. The proposed rule also includes significant discussion around telehealth.
See Detailed Summary Here