Medical Oncology Association of
Southern California
P.O. Box 161
Upland, CA 91785
Phone: (909) 985-9061
Fax: (909) 985-8581
email: moasc@moasc.org
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MOASC would like to recognize and thank the following sponsors for their continued support of MOASC:
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Posted July 5, 2005 |
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MOASC General Membership Meeting Pictures
It's always nice to put a face with a name. We've posted some new photos of guests, MOASC staff and Board Members from the May 2005 MOASC General Membership meeting in the image gallery. Be sure and check them out.
Save the Date - “ONS Chemotherapy & Biotherapy Course”
October 7-8, 2005,
Pasadena, CA. This program will offer 16.2 continuing education hours and is accredited by ONS. Please note: If you have attended this class before, you can renew your certificate online at www.ons.org. You do not need to attend again. If you have any questions, please contact the MOASC office at (909) 985-9061.
Invitations will be mailed out in July 2005.
Camp Keepsake
Camp Keepsake 2005 offers adults with cancer and up to 5 members of their families and/or friends of all ages the chance to attend our cost-free weekend camp session. Join the Lights, Camera, and Action of Camp Keepsake’s Hollywood Themed, Weekend Adult Cancer Camp Retreat October 7th–9th, 2005.
You can download the brochure and download the family application here.
For more information you can call (805) 384-5445 or go to the Cancer Hope Foundation website at www.cancerhopefoundation.org.
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Senator Feinstein Signs Specter/Nelson Bill
As of Friday 6/24/05 35 US Senators from 27 states signed the Arlen Specter/Bill Nelson letter to President Bush calling for a one year extension of the chemotherapy demonstration project.
Thank you for your responses. Your anecdotal information, forwarded to MOASC last week, was forwarded to Sen. Feinstein, which we believe assisted in the senator's decision to co-sign the letter to the President. Please send your thank you to
Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein for their support.
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CMS Offers New Option for Physicians Who Administer Drugs in Their Office
Physicians who administer drugs in their offices to Medicare beneficiaries will have the option of participating in a new competitive acquisition program (CAP) beginning January 1, 2006. Under an interim final rule with opportunity for comment issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), these physicians will be able to choose to obtain many physician-administered drugs from vendors selected by Medicare through competitive contracting. Read more here>>
Special CMS Announcement
Instructions For Providers Regarding National Provider Identifier Numbers
http://www.medicarenhic.com/whats_new/current/npiinst_0605.htm
Medicare Advisory Forum Minutes
The MAF minutes from the June 14, 2005 meeting have been posted.
July 2005 ASP Update Reposted
The July 2005 quarterly update for the Average Sales Price (ASP) Medicare Part B Drugs pricing file has been posted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/drugs/asp.asp .
The pricing file was replaced and reposted on June 17th to correct an error noted with code J7616. The correct price for J7616 is $2.356.The correct pricing file is now posted online at the web site noted above.
MM3742 - Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer Revised: 6/21/2005
SE0418 - Non-Physician Practitioner Questions and Answers Revised: 6/14/2005
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/matters/mmarticles/2004/SE0418.pdf
SE0540 - CMS Releases New Educational Guide on Remittance Advice (RA) Notices
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An analysis prepared by the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC; http://www.accc-cancer.org/PUBPOL/asp_rates.htm) of third quarter 2005 CMS payment rates for cancer therapies reveals that the average drug prices paid for the top 100 most commonly used cancer therapies declined by approximately 4 percent between the second and third quarters of 2005 (Q2-2005 and Q3-2005, respectively). This finding is consistent with CMS’s analysis, which reported an average decline of 2 percent in payment amounts across all drugs as well as for the top physician-administered drugs. ACCC's comparative analysis includes payment rates for physician offices and hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) between Q2-2005 and Q3-2005.
The ASP pricing file used to pay for Part B drugs for the Q3-2005 was posted on the CMS web site on June 16, 2005. Beginning in April 2005 (i.e., Q3-2005), the pricing files carry three decimal places. The payment amounts are 106 percent of the Average Sales Price (ASP) calculated from data submitted by drug manufacturers.
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