Volunteers from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) were on Capitol Hill on April 17 for the 2024 ASCO Advocacy Summit where they met with lawmakers to discuss critical issues in cancer care and research. During the event, more than 170 advocates from 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico met with more than 200 congressional offices. The Advocacy Summit was accompanied by a broader Week of Action, during which ASCO advocates from across the country sent almost 1,000 messages to Members of Congress through the ACT Network.
ASCO in Action provides the latest news and analysis related to critical policy issues affecting the cancer community, updates on the Association for Clinical Oncology’s ongoing advocacy efforts, and opportunities for members and others in the cancer care community to take action.
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April 19, 2024
April 12, 2024
On April 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule. The rule would update Medicare fee-for-service payment rates and policies for inpatient hospitals and LTCHs for FY 2025. Initial highlights of the proposal are included here.
March 18, 2024
President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which included a +1.68% adjustment to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) conversion factor (CF) for the remainder of calendar year (CY) 2024. This increase results in a 1.68% reduction to the 3.37% CF cut finalized in the 2024 MPFS final Rule. The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) advocated for Congress to address the full 3.37% Medicare physician reimbursement cut, and while ASCO appreciates congressional action, the Association is disappointed that Congress failed to eliminate the entire reimbursement cut.
February 27, 2024
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.
February 13, 2024
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.
January 16, 2024
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to two proposed rules: the 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D proposed rule and the 2025 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule. ASCO’s comments support provisions that address utilization management and health equity, which have the potential to improve access to care for the cancer community.
January 16, 2024
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.
January 16, 2024
As of January 1, 2024, oncology practitioners can bill and receive Medicare payment for connecting patients to navigation services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services adopted two billing codes for Principle Illness Navigation services: G0023 for the initial 60 minutes per patient per month, and G0024 to capture each additional 30 minutes per patient per month. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has received many inquiries about coding and billing for these new services and has made resources available for the oncology community.