ACCC, ASCO, ASH, & NCCN News

The following information has been received by ANCO.


****ACCC NEWS****
How Will You Solve Today's Inpatient and Outpatient Challenges?

Pressing issues confront oncology today: declining revenues and reimbursements, the high cost of new technology, implementation of electronic medical records, and shortages in the oncology workforce.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) is here to help programs and practices confront the looming crises in cancer care. Learn how to:

Enhance your cancer service line
Implement cost-saving strategies
Determine which EMR system best fits your needs
Create innovative physician employment arrangements
Assess if 340B-status is right for your hospital
Negotiate with third-party payers
Evaluate productivity metrics
Improve charge capture. . . and much more!

Join us at ACCC's 26th National Oncology Economics Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 22-25, 2009. This is the one national meeting designed to benefit ALL members of your cancer care team.

ACCC members who register for the meeting at the full rate ($550 or higher) may register a second person, member or non-member, at the 2nd Registrant discount rate, as long as he or she is a cancer care provider.

Learn More and Register at http://www.accc-cancer.org/meetings/meetings_noec2009.asp!

Patient Navigation Pre-conference— Sept. 22
Enhance your patient navigation services.

Oncology Pharmacy Pre-conference— Sept. 22
For the oncology pharmacy team AND physicians who seek to establish an in-house pharmacy or hire a part-time consultant pharmacist.


****ASCO NEWS****
Register and Reserve Housing for the 2009 Breast Cancer Symposium
The theme of the Symposium, "Integrating Emerging Science into Clinical Practice," emphasizes the growing focus on translational research in oncology. The deadline to receive housing and early registration rates is Sept. 9.


Register and Reserve Housing for the 2009 ASCO Electronic Health Records Symposium
With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law, now is the time to implement electronic health records (EHR) into your practice. The 2009 ASCO EHR Symposium, "Harnessing the EHR, From Incentives to Sustainability" can prepare you with the knowledge and tools for success. Join us Oct. 6-7 in San Francisco. The deadline to receive housing and early registration rates is Sept. 9.


We want to alert you to an exciting new ASCO program opportunity. Through financial support by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, ASCO is offering hematology/oncology practices in the United States the chance to participate in the pilot test of a new breast cancer registry. The Breast Cancer Registry Pilot will use a web-enabled application that is based on the ASCO Breast Cancer Treatment Plan and Summary template (www.asco.org/treatmentsummary).

The three main goals of the Breast Cancer Registry Pilot are to:
Implement and evaluate a new way for data submission to a database for quality monitoring and improvement.
Evaluate the burden, value, usefulness, and effectiveness of the Breast Cancer Registry Pilot methodology to oncology practices.
Assess patients' perspectives regarding treatment and survivorship discussions using the treatment plan and summary reports generated by the web-based registry.

ASCO is currently recruiting 20 diverse outpatient hematology/oncology practices to participate in the Breast Cancer Registry Pilot data entry and evaluation research study. Practices will receive a $20,000 stipend for their participation. The pilot period will begin in early Fall 2009 and be completed by year-end, 2010.

Help ASCO start a registry and learn to incorporate a treatment plan and summary in your patient care. Ultimately, ASCO seeks to provide a registry for national quality monitoring and quality improvement. We encourage you to share this exciting opportunity with other members in your state, attached is a flier for your own distribution.

If you would like more information or you think your practice may be interested in participating, visit www.asco.org/bcr. Applications are due by June 30th. Accepted practices will be notified in July.

Selections of participants will be made by ASCO in its sole discretion, and all selections shall be final. If your practice is selected, you will be notified in July, 2009. Participation will be subject to written registry and study participation agreements. For more information, e-mail Ginger Norris at ginger.norris@asco.org or Charmaine Cummings at charmaine.cummings@asco.org.


****ASH NEWS****
New PQRI Resources Available
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new document directed at office managers outlining the steps providers should take to participate in the 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and E-Prescribing programs. Thedocument is available from CMS. More resources to help hematologists be successfully reimbursed for PQRI and E-Prescribing participation are available on the ASH Web site.


****NCCN NEWS***
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is reaching out to oncology professionals to determine how useful the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are to you in informing your treatment decisions. Your responses will help us to make the NCCN Guidelines even more accessible to you. Please take a few minutes to give us your perspective by completing this short survey.

Click here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VffEQquxjmW2KnWkwVU08w_3d_3d) to access the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ User Survey.