Tool to Estimate 2011 Medicare Fee Schedule Impact
As you know, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued the preliminary rule on the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Due to the complexity of the changes in the fee schedule, COA will be providing additional information.... Read More →

Community Cancer Clinic Closings on the Rise
COA has compiled a database from several sources that now tracks adverse impacts on community oncology practices due to declining and unrealistic cuts to Medicare reimbursement for cancer care. We will be providing more information on these adverse impacts... Read More →

Message from New COA President, David Eagle, MD
I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has elected David Eagle, MD to serve as President. Dr. Eagle, who previously served as Vice President of COA, is an oncologist from North Carolina. Additionally,... Read More →

CMS Releases Medicare Claims with 21.3% Cut……………..
The semi-good news is that after failing to move the larger tax extenders bill, the Senate passed a bill with a 6-month patch to the sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). The bad news is that this will have to go back to the House for passage. However, the House... Read More →

SGR Patch Now Only 6 Months… Maybe?
The attempt to move the extenders/jobs bill containing the 19-month patch to the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) failed in the Senate yesterday. The plan is to scale back the bill and attempt to move it again. The scaled-back version contains only... Read More →

Medicare Claims to be Held Through Thursday, 6/17
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this morning announced that it will continue to hold Medicare claims through Thursday, 6/17. This move anticipates that Congress will act this week in passing the tax extenders bill, which contains... Read More →

SGR Update – Cut Effective Next Tuesday
The Senate is now working on the tax extenders bill, which contains the patch to the already-live 21.3% Medicare fee cut. As COA related, the House basically split this bill in two pieces, and passed both before the Memorial Day recess. The Senate now... Read More →

Register TODAY For June 23rd Capitol Hill Day
Go to the COA website at www.communityoncology.org to register. Please contact Dee Shook at dshook@COAcancer.org to answer any questions.  We are now scheduling member visits and it is important for all coming to Washington, DC to register. The last... Read More →

Next Steps to Patching the Medicare SGR Cut?
Just before the House left for a week-long recess, Representatives passed a bill containing a 19-month patch to the 21.3% Medicare payment cut effective today (6/1). Unfortunately, the Senate had already left town so the fee cut technically is effective... Read More →

SGR Follow-up; Threats to Imaging & Radiation
SGR Update Late last night the House leadership decided to split the tax extenders bill into two bills. One of the bills contains a 19-month patch to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) to avert the looming Medicare 21.3% payment cut. The House just passed... Read More →

Brief SGR Update
As of the writing of this alert, the House did not have the votes to pass the tax extenders bill, which contained a 19-month patch to the sustainable growth rate (SGR). Although there is inside talk of passing a 1-month patch, it is doubtful if this could... Read More →

Register TODAY for Cancer Care Hill Day on June 23rd!
On June 23, 2010, community oncology will be coming to Capitol Hill. Join with your fellow oncologists, oncology nurses, staff, and administrators who will accompany patients, caregivers, and survivors in delivering a simple message — Stop Cancer Care... Read More →

Brief SGR Update
We are providing these updates because of the concern expressed by many with the looming Medicare fee cut effective 6/1.  Here is the plan in the Congress as of today. A 3 1/2 year patch to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) will be included in H.R. 4213,... Read More →

SGR Update on Looming Medicare Fee Cut
The leadership of the House and Senate have been working on a patch to the looming Medicare physician fee cut of 21.2% effective June 1, 2010. The plan being discussed would patch the sustainable growth rate (SGR) for 5 years, with slight annual increases... Read More →

Impact of Healthcare Reform on Community Cancer Care Practice
COA recently hosted a webinar that reviewed the new health care reform law from the perspective of its impact on community oncology. A recording of the webinar, as well as a copy of the slides, are available on the COA website at http://www.communityoncology.org... Read More →

Oral Oncolytics Study sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and other pharmaceutical sponsors
Recently, we sponsored an important report about the barriers to access many patients experience when trying to receive oral oncolytics, and how best to address those challenges. It revealed a lot of different views and ideas from many corners of the... Read More →

Impact of Health Care Reform on Your Practice – COA Webinar on 4/29
The recently passed health care reform bill will take years to be implemented. That said, there are provisions already in effect that you need to understand. Moreover, there are provisions that will become effective within the next few years that you... Read More →

Join the Cancer Community on Capitol Hill on June 23rd.
Tired of the cuts to cancer care? Frustrated by Congress’ inability to fix the failed Medicare payment system? Even more importantly, are you upset about the adverse impact upon the care to cancer patients resulting from the mounting pressures on the... Read More →

Medicare SGR Patch Signed Into Law
We have tried to keep everyone in the community current on the ins and outs of the patch to the 21.2% Medicare fee cut via emails and posts on the COA website. We understand that there is a great deal of confusion about this situation and serious concern... Read More →

SGR and Petition Update
Congress returns to take up legislation to extend the patch to the Medicare 21.2% fee cut. Politics has left this legislation up in the air, unfortunately. Below is a ranking by state of the Stop Cancer Care Cuts petition signers. The petition is closing... Read More →

45,000+ Sign Stop Cancer Care Cuts Petition
Help turn 45,000 Stop Cancer Care Cuts petition signers into 100,000! It is imperative that community oncology send a clear message of Stop Cancer Care Cuts in this increasingly charged election year. Come to Capitol Hill on June 23rd to meet with... Read More →

SGR Theater of the Absurd
As you know, once again Congress has failed to avert a patch to the Medicare 21.2% payment cut. And, once again, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is holding claims (dated as of April 1st) for 10 business days in the hope that Congress... Read More →

March Madness Upsets and the SGR Saga Continues
The March Madness on the hardwood courts have produced some great upsets this past weekend. However, they were somewhat overshadowed by the March Madness on Capitol Hill as the House passed the Senate version of health care reform and the reconciliation... Read More →

March Madness
No, this brief update is not about the NCAA basketball tournament. It is about the March Madness happening on Capitol Hill. This Sunday the House is scheduled to vote on health care reform. One way or another, history will be made. What the House will... Read More →

“Fix Cancer Care” – COA President Dr. Cobb’s Message to Congress
Patrick Cobb, MD, President of COA and a practicing medical oncologist, delivers a message to Congress today in The Hill, a widely read congressional daily. In his opinion editorial, Memo to Congress on healthcare reform: fix Medicare first, Dr. Cobb... Read More →

Next entries