OSCO NEWS

Message From ASCO's CPC Chair - Congress is returning to Washington this month for a lame-duck session, where it will address unfinished appropriations, intelligence and homeland security legislation. Because the appropriations bills will be the focus through the end of the year, we don't expect any further action on Medicare and oncology-related issues. As you know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) released its final physician fee schedule last week. Though this new rule represents a step in the right direction, ASCO is still in the process analyzing all of the components of the rule and the effects these will have on cancer care. read more

ELOXATIN™ (OXALIPLATIN for injection) for adjuvant treatment of Stage III Colon Cancer - I am pleased to announce that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ELOXATIN™, in combination with conventional chemotherapy (infusional 5- fluorouracil/leucovorin, known as 5-FU/LV), for the adjuvant (postsurgical) treatment of patients with stage III colon cancer who have undergone complete resection of the primary tumor. read more

TOWN HALL MEETING: MEDICARE PROVIDER FEEDBACK - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a Town Hall meeting on November 16, 2004, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). The meeting will be held in the auditorium at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244. read more

CMS Releases Fee Schedule - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final physician fee schedule for 2005. We appreciate CMS' long awaited recognition of the patient services that are so crucial to quality cancer care. While ASCO is in the process of analyzing the full effects of the rule, this appears to be another step forward in preserving patient access. What follows is a summary of the provisions of greatest interest to the cancer community: read more

Medicare Drugs Information Resource - Average Sales Price (ASP) Final Rule for CY 2005 -- CMS-1429FC Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2005 went on display at the Office of the Federal Register on November 2, 2004, and will be published on November 15, 2004. The comment period will close on January 1, 2005. Preliminary ASP Pricing File Based On 2nd Quarter 2004 ASP Data Important News for Providers: CMS has posted Medlearn Matters Article SE0464 (adobe pdf 279Kb) regarding flu shots for Medicare beneficiaries. Letter from the Administrator - GAO Draft Report, Medicare: Appropriate Dispensing Fee Needed for Suppliers of Inhalation Therapy Drugs (GAO-05-72) read more

Related Website: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/drugs/

Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2005 - This document went on display at the Office of the Federal Register on November 2, 2004, and will be published on November 15, 2004. The comment period will close on January 1, 2005. We are providing this information on this website as a service to the public. This allows the public to download tables and addendums. While we provide a document on this website, the document that we publish in the Federal Register is the official CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - formerly HCFA) publication. CPT codes and descriptions are copyright 2005 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Applicable FARS/DFARS apply. SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS read more

NCA Tracking Sheet for Anticancer Chemo for Colorectal Cancer - Oxaliplatin is an antineoplastic agent (a platinum analogue) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the trade name Eloxatin, for use in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin in patients with colorectal cancer whose disease has recurred or has become worse following initial therapy with a combination of irinotecan with 5-FU and leucovorin. It is not approved for patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer. Given the potential impact of this treatment on the Medicare program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has internally generated a national coverage determination to evaluate when oxaliplatin is reasonable and necessary in the Medicare population. read more

Related Website: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewtrackingsheet.asp?id=90

NCA Tracking Sheet for Positron Emission Tomography (FDG) - Issue Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive imaging procedure used to assess metabolic activity and perfusion in various organ systems in the human body. Images are obtained from positron-emitting radioisotopes that are usually administered intravenously. 2-[F18] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) is used in PET imaging procedures. The requestors asked that Medicare expand coverage of FDG-PET to include certain indications for the following cancers: brain, testicular, small cell lung, cervical, and pancreatic. read more

Related Website: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewtrackingsheet.asp?id=92

CMS will pay for chemo in office - Today, CMS responded favorably to ASCO's position that payments for office-based chemotherapy needed to be increased in 2005 to avoid serious problems in patient access. CMS announced that it will pay physicians who furnish chemotherapy in the office an additional $130 per patient for every day on which chemotherapy is furnished read more

Related Website: http://view.exacttarget.com/?fec2117877610c7c-fe2d10737d640475771273

Pre-Election Medicare Update - On the verge of what appears to be an election of historic voter turnout, we wanted to provide a brief update on the Medicare reimbursement changes. read more

Related Website: http://communityoncology.org