October 2006 Practice Update

SAVE THE DATES! The 48th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition Includes Events for Practicing Hematologists!

• Special Symposium: Bleeding Disorders in Women's Health
  Saturday, December 9, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  Experts will offer insights on both the obstacles of and options for treating bleeding disorders in premenopausal women. The topics are: The Unrecognized Truth from an OB-GYN Perspective; The Role of the Consultative Hematologist; and Whether This Is Another Public Health Crisis in Hematology?
  
  
• Practice Forum: Pay-for-Performance: Are You Ready?
  Saturday, December 9, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  ASH teams with state hematology/oncology societies to examine different aspects and implications of the fast-moving trend towards pay-for-performance. Speakers will present a national overview on Pay-for-Performance (P4P) along with cost implications and other changes practitioners can anticipate. Speakers include Dr. Rodger Winn, of the National Quality Forum and a panel of state hematology/oncology society representatives. An update on legislative and regulatory items of interest to practitioners will be included.
  
  Reception Follows
  Join us for the reception at 7:30 p.m. sponsored by Genentech BioOncology/Biogen Idec to network with colleagues and speak with the Practice Forum panelists.
  
  
• ASH Grassroots Network Breakfast
  Sunday, December 10, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
  Enjoy breakfast while learning about the issues that will top our 2007 advocacy agenda. The Grassroots Network Breakfast provides a forum for ASH staff to update members on major ASH legislative and regulatory efforts and how members can be active in influencing Congress on issues such as the NIH budget, physician reimbursement, support for stem cell research, and genetic nondiscrimination.
  

Medicare Payment Cuts Expected in 2007

Medicare is still scheduled to cut reimbursement to physicians by approximately 5.1 percent beginning January 1, 2007. Congress is running out of time to take action to prevent the cuts. Visit the ASH Advocacy Center now to urge your Representatives and Senators to stop the Medicare payment cuts!

ASH Comments on Medicare Proposed Rules

ASH submitted comments on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule and the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payments System Proposed Rule. Earlier this year ASH submitted comments on the Five-Year Review and Practice Expense Methodology Proposed Rule. The 2007 Physician Fee Schedule will combine the Physician Fee Schedule and Five-Year Review and Practice Expense Methodology proposed rules into a single final rule, which is expected to be released in November 2006.

Hematology Quality Measures Continue Development

The ASH hematology-specific quality measures under development are continuing their progress through the AMA Physician Consortium process. They will be released shortly for public comment by the Consortium. Meanwhile, they are available for review and comment on the ASH Web site. The measures are expected to be included in a 2007 Medicare demonstration or pilot program, such as the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program (PVRP) that was implemented in 2006 and will be expanded in 2007 to include specialty-specific quality measures. Earlier this week CMS said it plans to select a subset of quality measures for use in the PVRP for 2007 "in order to achieve an appropriate balance in measures to be reported by different specialties." The list of measures to be used in the program will be posted by January 1, 2007, and covers 32 of 39 physician specialties. A CMS fact sheet and its list of quality measures was released on October 17, 2006; all four hematology measures in the document were incorrect. ASH notified CMS of the error and is working with the agency to provide correct hematology measures.

Medicare Pay-for-Performance Demonstration – AR, CA, MA, UT

Medicare announced that it will implement a three-year demonstration project funded jointly by Medicare and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Medicare Care Management Performance (MCMP) will begin with 800 small or medium sized practices, or up to 2800 physicians, in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, and Utah. The demonstration will allow practices to earn an annual incentive of up to $10,000 per physician and up to $50,000 per practice year. Participating physicians must be primary care providers for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.

Physician Election for 2007 Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) is Open

The physician election period for the CAP runs October 1, 2006, to November 15, 2006. All physicians and physician groups who wish to participate in the 2007 CAP must enroll in the program for 2007, including physicians who are already participating in the CAP. Participation in the CAP is voluntary.

Health Information Technology (HIT) Legislation Still Active

H.R. 4157 HIT Promotion Act and S. 1418 Wired for Health Care Quality Act must be aligned in conference committee during the November session, if Congress is to pass HIT legislation this year. There are a number of key differences to be resolved, including funding, safe harbor, ICD 10, and exchange of health information. The Senate version had bipartisan unanimous support.

ASH/FDA Workshop on Clinical Endpoints in Multiple Myeloma – Next Week

ASH and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are co-sponsoring a Workshop on Clinical Endpoints in Multiple Myeloma October 26 in Washington, DC.  Details are available online for this forum where experts will discuss clinical endpoints for use in regulatory approval of agents to treat multiple myeloma. Advanced registration is now closed, but on site registration will be available if space permits.