ACCC & Palmetto/J1MAC News

The following information has been received by ANCO.

All ANCO Online LIstServ postings are archived at the ANCO Online ListSev blog available at http://anco-online.blogspot.com/.


****ACCC NEWS****
The Association of Community Cancer Center's (ACCC) This Week at ACCC was published and is available at http://www.accc-cancer.org/mediaroom/newsletters/media_ACCCNEWSLETTER_10-20-2008.html. ANCO is an Institutional Member of ACCC.

This edition features:

CMS Announces RAC Program Details

ACCC's Highly Acclaimed Hospital Summit: Portable and Practical Information

Strategic Planning for Hospital Cancer Programs: Vision Matters

FDA Launches Updated Website of Approved/Unapproved Drugs

Regional Oncology Symposia Coming to Tampa and Philadelphia

Call for Nominations for ACCC's Board

FDA Grants Full Approval to Ontak for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Q&A on ACCC's Listserv: Downsizing Your Linacs

ACCC's CE Blackboard: Upcoming Video-Webcast on CML

RTOG and US Oncology Announce Collaboration

Survey: Chemotherapy Dosing in Obese Patients

State Medical Oncology Societies Host Upcoming Meetings


****PALMETTO/J1MAC NEWS****
Availability of an Interim Study of Alternative Payment Localities Under
the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Current%20News~Availability%20of%20an%20Interim%20Study%20of%20Alternative%20Payment%20Localities%20Under%20the%20Medicare%20Physician%20Fee%20Schedule?opendocument

Medicare is statutorily required to adjust payments for physician fee
schedule services to account for differences in costs due to geographic
location. There are currently 89 different localities which have not been
revised since 1997. In the CY 2009 Physician Fee Schedule notice of
proposed rulemaking which was released on June 30, 2008, we indicated that
we would post on the CMS website a preliminary study of several options for
revising the payment localities. The report entitled: "Review of
Alternative GPCI Payment Locality Structures", which was produced by
Acumen, LLC under contract to CMS, may currently be found at the following
link:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PhysicianFeeSched/downloads/ReviewOfAltGPCIs.pdf.

Provider Enrollment Application Status Lookup Tool
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Jurisdiction%201%20Part%20B~Resources~Provider%20Enrollment~Provider%20Enrollment%20Application%20Status%20Lookup%20Tool?opendocument

To assist J1 providers in obtaining the status of their enrollment
applications, we are pleased to announce a new provider self-service tool.
The Provider Enrollment Application Status Lookup tool will be located on
the Palmetto GBA J1 Part B Web site, www.Palmettogba.com/J1B/Enroll, under
Resources/Provider Enrollment and under Tools and Top Links at
www.PalmettoGBA.com/J1B

Upcoming Training for the Medicare Part B Drugs Competitive Acquisition
Program (CAP)
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/DocsCat/Providers~Current%20News~Upcoming%20Training%20for%20the%20Medicare%20Part%20B%20Drugs%20Competitive%20Acquisition%20Program%20(CAP)?opendocument

Noridian Administrative Services, the designated carrier for the CAP,
offers interactive, online workshops about the CAP for Part B Drugs and
Biologicals. These workshops train CAP vendors and elected physicians on a
variety of CAP topics, including how to transition out of the CAP at the
end of 2008 due to the postponement of the program for 2009. NAS staff
will also be available to answer questions. Interested parties may view
additional information about and register for these workshops on the
Noridian Web site at:
https://www.noridianmedicare.com/cap_drug/train/schedule.html