ACCC & Palmetto/J1MAC News

The following information has been received by ANCO.


****ACCC NEWS****
ACCC Conference Call: New Proposed Rules from CMS and How They Will Affect You
Thursday, July 23, 2009, at 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm EDT: Join oncology policy and legal experts for a 90-minute discussion of the 2010 proposed Hospital Outpatient Department Rule and Physician Fee Schedule. Learn how the proposed 2010 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) Rule and Physician Fee Schedule will affect your program or practice.

Visit http://www.accc-cancer.org/mediaroom/alerts/2009/media_alerts_HOPPS_7-20-2009.html to learn more.

Pemedtrexed Receives FDA Approval for Maintenance Therapy for Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Eli Lilly and Company announced July 5, 2009, it received a new approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pemetrexed for injection (Alimta®). The latest approval is for Alimta as a maintenance therapy for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), specifically for patients with a nonsquamous histology whose disease has not progressed after four cycles of platinum-based first-line chemotherapy.

Visit http://www.accc-cancer.org/mediaroom/media_newsfeed.asp to learn more.

OIG: Medicare Data Insufficient to Determine Consistently Whether Chemotherapy Administration Payments Are Appropriate
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on Medicare Part B payment for chemotherapy administration and examined whether chemotherapy administration codes were billed correctly. Among the findings: About $60 million of physician claims for chemotherapy administration were paid when no drug or no chemotherapy drug was billed on the same day. The OIG also found that contractors have not adopted consistent policies identifying whether a drug should be billed with a chemotherapy code or non-chemo drug administration code.

Visit http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-09-08-00190.pdf to learn more.


****PALMETTO/J1MAC NEWS****
Draft Revision of Category III CPT Codes LCD J1B-08-0020-L
The Draft Category III CPT Codes Local Coverage Determination is open for
comments beginning July 16, 2009.
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/vMasterDID/7TXNU86355?opendocument


J1 Provider Outreach and Education Events Calendar
More educational events are added to our Learning and Education July events
calendar! Click on the events hightlighted in blue for more details.
http://www.palmettogba.com/palmetto/providers.nsf/vMasterDID/7TAL2C7131?opendocument