2009-08-27
White House Reaffirms Commitment to Medicare Physician Payment Fix
During a conference call with physicians on August 25, White House staff strongly reaffirmed their commitment to a Medicare physician payment fix and assured that a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) fix will be included in any health reform measure. The call was focused on eliciting physician support for reform. Read more.
ASH Comments on Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Changes
ASH submitted comments on proposed revisions to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on August 19. Read more.
ASH Comments on Proposed HOPPS
ASH submitted comments on proposed revisions to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) regulations on August 26. Read more.
FDA Publishes Two New Rules Related to Investigational Drugs
On August 12, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published two new rules related to investigational drugs. The changes are meant to consolidate and clarify the requirements and facilitate making investigational drugs and biologics more widely available to seriously ill patients, including those with cancer, who have no other treatment options. Read more.
Medicare Average Sales Price Updates Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made the Medicare Part B Drug and Biological Average Sales Price Payment Amounts for October 1, 2009, through December 1, 2009, available on the CMS Web site.
ARRA Grants Available for Electronic Health Records
On August 20, Vice President Joseph Biden announced that nearly 1.2 billion dollars in grants are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help finance and incentivize the adoption of electronic health records. Read more.
Planning for a Successful Implementation of ICD-10
The compliance date for implementation of the International Classification of Diseases 10th Edition (ICD-10-CM/PCS) is October 1, 2013. It is not too early to start planing for a successful implementation. Read more.
Only Two Days Left to Register for the 2009 ASH State-of-the-Art Symposium
The 2009 ASH State-of-the-Art Symposium (SAS) will be held September 11-12, 2009, in Chicago, IL. This meeting, which focuses on the latest research and treatment options for hematologic malignancies and platelet disorders, offers 10.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Don’t miss out! Register by August 29 to take advantage of the reduced advance registration rate. Learn more about this meeting, and view the full program schedule.
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