Overview of US Oncology Physician Services

ANCO Members are invited to join us for an informational webcast

Overview of US Oncology Physician Services
Featuring the Role of the Pharmacist

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM PST

To register for this free event please visit http://www.opspharmacist.com/anco

Due to the recent shifting reimbursement rules and ESA issues, community-based oncology practices are facing more challenges than ever before. With decreasing revenue levels, practices struggle to maintain viable business and therefore, it is vital that they leverage resources that offer support from both a clinical and business perspective.

Join presenter Sean Taylor to learn about the services offered by US Oncology for the independent oncology practice. This presentation will feature a discussion of how an oncology-trained pharmacist works with practice staff to provide solutions for overall process improvement that include:

Regimen Analysis
Charge Capture/ Inventory Roll Forward
Admixture Services
Billing & Coding Education/Support
Cash flow management

For more information, please contact us 866-216-5053 or email ops@usoncology.com.

CMS/Medicare: 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) ~ National Provider Call to held on May 28th

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host the third in a series of national provider conference calls on the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). This toll-free call will take place from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., EDT, on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.

This call will provide an overview of the alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures for the 2008 PQRI as authorized by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (MMSEA) (P.L. 110-173) which was enacted on December 29, 2007.

MMSEA requires that for 2008 and 2009 the Secretary establish alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting groups of measures. It also requires that for 2008 and 2009 the Secretary establish alternative reporting periods and alternative criteria for satisfactorily reporting quality measures data through registries.

In 2008, eligible professionals may earn an incentive payment of 1.5 percent of their total allowed charges for Physician Fee Service covered professional services furnished during the respective alternative reporting periods based on data submitted via these mechanisms. While TRHCA established a cap on incentive payments for 2007, based on an average per measure payment amount, there is no cap on incentive payments under MMSEA for 2008 and 2009.

These provisions provide increased opportunities for eligible professionals to report PQRI quality measures and the possibility to earn incentive payments for satisfactory reporting.

A PowerPoint slide presentation will be posted to the PQRI webpage at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI/30_EducationalResources.asp, on the CMS website for you to download prior to the call so that you can follow along with the presenters, Dr. Michael Rapp, Dr. Daniel Green and Rachel Nelson.

Following the presentation, callers will have an opportunity to ask questions of CMS subject matter experts.

Conference call details:

Date: May 28, 2008
Conference Title: 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative National Provider Call
Time: 3:30 p.m. -5:00 p.m. EDT

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. It is important to note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in data. This registration is solely to reserve a phone line, NOT to allow participation. If you cannot attend the call, replay information is available below.

Registration will close at 3:30 p.m. EDT on May 27, 2008, or when available space has been filled. No exceptions will be made, so please be sure to register prior to this time.

To register for the call participants need to go to http://www2.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/052808

Fill in all required data.

Verify your time zone is displayed correctly the drop down box.

Click "Register".

You will be taken to the “Thank you for registering” page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Note: Please print and save this page in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.

For those of you unable to attend, a replay option will be available shortly following the end of the call. This replay will be accessible from 5:30 p.m. EDT 5/28/2008 until 11:59 p.m. EDT 6/5/2008. The call-in data for the replay is (800) 642-1687 and the passcode is 46870023.

If you require services for the hearing impaired please send an email to Medicare.TTT@PalmettoGBA.com.

CMS/Medicare Coverage of CTC for Colorectal Cancer

CMS/Medicare has posted a new tracking sheet for the coverage of screening Computed Tomography Colonlgraphy (CTC) for Colorectal Cancer at https://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/viewtrackingsheet.asp?id=220

Stanford Head & Neck Clinical Trials

The Head & Neck Oncology Program of the Stanford Cancer Center seeks patients for three new clinical trials:

• Lapatinib plus radiation is for potentially curable previously untreated patients with advanced non-metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) who are not candidates for standard cisplatin-based chemoradiation.

• BIBW2992 is an orally available inhibitor of EGFR. This trial is for patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC.

• XL880 is an orally available inhibitor of both MET and VEGF that has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in several tumor types.

Details and contact information for these trials is available at http://cancer.stanford.edu/trials/adult/
Head_and_Neck_Cancer.

Palmetto/J1MAC Website Updates

The following updates have been posted to the Palmetto/J1MAC website.


Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Web-based Training at 3:00 EST on May 21,
2008
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/j1.nsf/DocsCat/Electronic%20Funds%20Transfer%20(EFT)%20Web-based%20Training%20at%203%3A00%20EST%20on%20May%2021%2C%202008?opendocument

Find out how to register for and attend the EFT Web-based training on May
21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Applies to:
Part A Transition: General
Part B Transition: General

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Palmetto GBA Announces Transition Workshops!
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/j1.nsf/DocsCat/Palmetto%20GBA%20Announces%20Transition%20Workshops!?opendocument

Palmetto GBA will be conducting workshops throughout the J1 region and will
be available to answer your questions concerning the transition. You will
have an opportunity to hear directly from your Medicare Administrative
Contractor (MAC) regarding such topics as transition dates, what is needed
to continue to bill electronically, how the Local Coverage Determination
process will work, address any differences in claims processing guidelines
and much more. Additional information, as well as the capability to
register for the workshops, will be provided as we near the dates of the
workshops.

Applies to:
Part A Transition: EDI
Part A Transition: General
Part B Transition: EDI
Part B Transition: General

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Part B - A/B MAC J1- PTT Call - May 20, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. EST
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/j1.nsf/DocsCat/Part%20B%20-%20AB%20MAC%20J1-%20PTT%20Call%20-%20May%2020%2C%202008%20at%203%3A30%20p.m.%20EST?opendocument

Throughout the Jurisdiction 1 (J1) implementation, Palmetto GBA will host a
series of Medicare Part B transition teleconference calls for Part B
providers in Hawaii, Nevada, California, Guam, American Samoa and the
Northern Mariana Islands. These one-hour sessions will provide you with the
most recent transition information and will address the questions you have
about the implementation. This is your opportunity to speak with the J1 A/B
MAC and to discuss the implementation topic of your choice. The
teleconferences are similar to the “Ask-the-Contractor Teleconferences”
(ACT) offered by the Medicare fee-for-service contractors but will be
focused on J1 transition issues.

Applies to:
Part B Transition: General
Part B Transition: EDI

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Provider Resource Checklist and Implementation Timeline
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/j1.nsf/DocsCat/Provider%20Resource%20Checklist%20and%20Implementation%20Timeline?opendocument

Palmetto GBA has posted a Provider Resource Checklist and an Implementation
Timeline in order to provide important implementation resource links and to
communicate critical implementation activities and dates. The Timeline
will be updated as new implementation activities, dates and information
becomes available.

Applies to:
Part A Transition: General
Part B Transition: General

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DHS/MediCal NPI Update

Beginning May 24, 2008, Medi-Cal and the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program will no longer accept claims billed with a Medi-Cal legacy provider number. Providers who have registered their National Provider Identifiers (NPIs) but have not submitted claims using their NPI are strongly encouraged to start submitting NPI claims now to avoid interruption in claim payments. Providers who have not already registered their NPI with Medi-Cal may have their claims rejected.

Medi-Cal previously announced that providers would no longer need to use both sets of identifiers on claims because the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) was able to accept an NPI only, effective December 17, 2007. Providers who were not ready to transition to the NPI were informed they could continue to submit their Medi-Cal provider number until instructed otherwise.

In February 2008, providers were reminded that once a claim was submitted with an NPI, the associated Medi-Cal “legacy” provider number(s) would be end-dated. In other words, effective for dates of service beyond the date of a claim submitted with an NPI, the Medi-Cal provider number would no longer be valid. Using the associated Medi-Cal provider number(s) following a claim submission with an NPI results in claim denials for subsequent dates of service.

DHCS plans to deactivate all Medi-Cal and CHDP legacy provider numbers as early as May 23, 2008. The only exception is atypical providers: Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), Christian Science Practitioners and blood banks. These providers may continue to use only their nine-digit Medi-Cal provider numbers.

This information is available on the Medi-Cal web site in the following link: http://files.medi-cal.ca.gov/pubsdoco/npi/articles/npi_9364.asp

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please call the Telephone Service Center (TSC) at 1-800-541-5555 or visit the NPI page on the Medi-Cal Web site.

THIS WEEK AT ACCC, MAY 19-23, 2008

The Association of Community Cancer Center's (ACCC) This Week at ACCC was published today and can be viewed at http://www.accc-cancer.org/mediaroom/newsletters/media_ACCC_may19_08.html. ANCO is a member of ACCC.

It features:

ACCC Launches New Online Services and Database

ACCC Signs on to ONS Letter, Urges Support for "Nurse Reinvestment Act"

Call for ACCC Annual Awards Nominations

Innovative Prostate Cancer Programs: Do You Have One?

ACCC to Launch New Survey: "Benchmarking Trends in Cancer Care"

Heard on the ACCC Listserv: Chemotherapy Mixing Policy and More

ACCC's CE Blackboard: Register for Multiple Myeloma Webcast, Other Offerings

Last-Minute Glitch Hampers Final NPI Implementation

State Medical Oncology Societies Host Upcoming Meetings