2010-02-26

Contact the Senate Now to Stop the 21 Percent Medicare Physician Payment Cut
On March 1, 2010, Medicare payments to doctors are scheduled to be cut by 21 percent unless the Senate acts. It is critical that senators hear from their physician constituents. Please contact your senator today. Read more.

FDA Announces New Safety Program for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents
The Food and Drug Administration is requiring all erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to be prescribed and used under a risk management program, known as a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, to ensure the safe use of these drugs. Read more.

President Obama and Congress Convene Health Reform Summit
The White House and Democratic and Republican congressional leadership convened a televised summit February 25, 2010, intended to break the gridlock on health-care reform. Read more.

ASH Shares Support of BCR-ABL1 Testing in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
ASH has responded to two federal requests regarding BCR-ABL1 mutation testing in chronic myeloid leukemia. Read more.

The Social Security Administration Expands Its List of Compassionate Allowances
The Social Security Administration list of Compassionate Allowances provides a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that clearly qualify for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability benefits. It allows the agency to electronically target and make speedy decisions for the most obviously disabled individuals. This expedited process could benefit some hematology patients.

2010 PQRI and E-Prescribing Incentive Program National Provider Call With Q&A Session
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Provider Communications Group will host a national provider conference call on the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program. This toll-free call will take place from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. EST, on Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Call participants can register and access a transcript one week after the call on the CMS Web site.

Medicare Revises Its Definition of Compendia for Off-Label Indications in Anticancer Chemotherapeutic Regimens
CMS will now require a publicly transparent process for evaluating therapies and for identifying potential conflicts of interest for its approved Compendia as Authoritative Source for Use in the Determination of a Medically Accepted Indication of Drugs/Biologicals Used Off-Label in Anticancer Chemotherapeutic Regimens.

Medicare Releases Quarterly Correct Coding Initiative Update
CMS has released its Quarterly Update to the Correct Coding Initiative. These updates will go into effect April 1, 2010.

Don’t Miss the Official Highlights of ASH^® Latin America
Once again, ASH has partnered with the Associaçáo Brasileira de Hematologia e Hemoterapia to bring the second consecutive Highlights of ASH Latin America to Brazil. Join your fellow practitioners at this unique, clinically-focused event on May 14-15, 2010, in Rio de Janeiro, and hear world-renowned experts discuss advances in treatment of hematologic diseases, focusing on questions that are particularly relevant to the Latin American audience. The program schedule is available on the ASH Web site. Be sure to register by March 19 to receive the early-bird registration discount.