OSCO NEWS

Letter to CMS from Congress - Letter to Mark McLellan, CMS, from Subcommittee on Health Committee Ways and Means read more

Oncology Legislation - The Congress is in session this weekend and our issue is getting the attention of the leadership, key members, and their staffs, as well as CMS and The White House. read more

Related Website: http://www.communityoncology.org

COA CMS Response - What follows is a response from the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) to the one-page document (Payment for Oncology Drugs & Administration) issued by CMS relating to Medicare cuts to cancer care reimbursement read more

Primary MAC Jurisdiction Area 4 - Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas read more

On November 16, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sorafenib (NEXAVAR®, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), - On November 16, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved sorafenib (NEXAVAR®, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), an orally administered kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sorafenib was originally approved in December 20, 2005 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. read more

On November 8, 2007, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a new dosing regimen of dasatinib (SPRYCEL™, Bristol-Myers Squibb - On November 8, 2007, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a new dosing regimen of dasatinib (SPRYCEL™, Bristol-Myers Squibb) for the treatment of adults with chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy, including imatinib mesylate. read more

Erythropoietin Stimulating Agents (ESAs) - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today the following proposed changes to the approved labeling for the use of erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs). The label will be final in 15 days, unless an administrative appeal is requested which could take "up to" 30 days before the label is complete. The manufacturers of ESAs may recommend further adjustments for FDA consideration during that time, but changes from today's proposal, if any, are expected to be minor. read more

Related Website: http://WWW.LEGISLINK.COM

Comment on the ASCO-ONS Standards for Safe Chemotherapy Administration - The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) partnered to develop a process based on consensus to draft the first Standards for Safe Chemotherapy Administration. The premise for standard development was that administration of neo-plastic agents is complex and can be fraught with potential patient safety issues. Although other standards, guidelines and policy statements exist, standards to improve quality and safety of chemotherapy administration, both oral and parenteral, have not been established in quantified, measureable terms. When published and incorporated by hematology/oncology practices, the goal of improved quality and safety for patients receiving chemotherapy can be realized. The draft Standards will be available for comment through March 13, 2009. In the last two months, the ASCO/ONS Steering Committee refined, clarified and streamlined the Standards. A survey tool for public comment and the PDF document can be accessed by clicking: http://research.zarca.com/k/RsTUTRsSPPsVXVTPsPsP Please read the Standards (PDF) and Background document, and click the URL to provide your comments on the survey tool. Your comments are extremely valuable and will be analyzed by the ASCO/ONS Steering Committee for inclusion in the Standards. The final Standards and an article describing their development will be submitted for publication in ASCO and ONS journals. We encourage you to submit public comments and hope you will share the documents with other colleagues/stakeholders in your organization and beyond. ASCO and ONS are alerting members and committee volunteers about the public comment opportunity to encourage a wide range of stakeholder comments. Thank you in advance for your participation! Charmaine Cummings, PhD, RN Asst. Director for Quality Cancer Policy and Clinical Affairs 2318 Mill Road, Suite 800 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: 571-483-1390 Fax: 703-684-8364 charmaine.cummings@asco.org

Related Website: http://research.zarca.com/k/RsTUTRsSPPsVXVTPsPsP

Health care law's massive, hidden tax change - An all-but-overlooked provision of the health reform law is threatening to swamp U.S. businesses with a flood of new tax paperwork. Section 9006 of the health care bill -- just a few lines buried in the 2,409-page document -- mandates that beginning in 2012 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or corporation from which they buy more than $600 in goods or services in a tax year.

Related Website: http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/05/smallbusiness/1099_health_care_tax_change/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin