This month, Members of Congress sent letters to Senate leadership urging the Senate to use upcoming government funding legislation to address the Medicare physician payment cuts that took effect on January 1. With the March government funding deadlines coming up, the letter requests that the House and Senate work together to include provisions that provide stability to physician payments. The Association for Clinical Oncology urged House and Senate members to sign the letters and continues to monitor efforts to address Medicare physician cuts. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized prior authorization policy updates within Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicaid Managed Care and Fee for Service, Children’s Health Insurance Plans (CHIP) Managed Care and Fee for Service, and Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) on the Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFEs). These changes come in response to the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and other stakeholder concerns that prior authorization processes limit beneficiary access to care in Medicare Advantage. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its rule requiring federal health plans—including Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid plans, and Qualified Health Plans (QHP) on Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFEs)— to establish an electronic prior authorization process that will be integrated into providers’ workflows.

In a response to the Establishment of Disincentives for Health Care Providers That Have Committed Information Blocking proposed rule, the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) not to implement the disincentives as proposed. ASCO also asks CMS for further clarification on the enforcement process, and the Association supports establishing a meaningful opportunity for appeals.