January 2012 Practice Update (part two)

2012-01-26

News from Washington

Congress Begins Consideration of Physician Payment; Advocacy Needed NOW to Avert Medicare Cuts March 1
Congress is beginning negotiations on pressing legislative priorities, including legislation to avert a potential 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician payment rates. A January 24 House vote instructed negotiators drafting the Medicare payment extension bill to report on a compromise by February 17, nearly two weeks earlier than the scheduled expiration of the current extension, March 1. Read more and visit the ASH Advocacy Center today to take action to urge lawmakers to address and correct the physician payment formula and encourage your colleagues to do the same.

ASH Makes Recommendations to Implement Clinical Trials Coverage Provision of Health Reform Law
Under the terms of an ASH-supported provision contained in the health reform law, insurers would be prohibited from dropping coverage because an individual chooses to participate in a clinical trial and from denying coverage for routine care that they would otherwise provide just because an individual is enrolled in a clinical trial. The requirement would apply to all insurance products, including those offered in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and to all clinical trials that treat cancer or other life-threatening diseases. ASH recently joined several organizations in submitting recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in advance of the agency's anticipated rulemaking to implement the clinical trials coverage provision. Read more. 

Update on Hematologic Drug Shortages and News from the FDA

Important Information Regarding Supply of Daunorubicin
ASH members continue to report difficulty in obtaining Daunorubicin hydrochloride solution for injection and in several regions members report that the shortage is significantly impacting clinical trials. The product is manufactured by two companies—Beford Laboratories has all presentations on back order. Teva Pharmaceuticals has Daunorubicin 5 mg/mL 4 mL vials (NDC 00703-5233-13) available, but the company is reviewing orders prior to release and the product is only available through drop shipment. ASH alerted the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) about the continued shortage, disruption to clinical trials, and disruption to patient care. The FDA responded that it is working with Teva on ways to increase the supply. Read more information about the Daunorubicin shortage and updates on the status of additional hematologic drug shortages, ASH advocacy efforts, and resources for physicians dealing with shortages.

FDA Approves Glucarpidase Injection For Treatment Of Toxic Plasma Methotrexate Concentrations In Patients With Delayed Clearance Due To Impaired Renal Function
On January 17, 2012, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved glucarpidase injection (Voraxaze®, BTG International Inc.) for the treatment of toxic plasma methotrexate concentrations (> 1 μmol/L) in patients with delayed methotrexate clearance due to impaired renal function. Read more.

News from ASH

ASH Releases Policy Statement Opposing Mandatory Sickle Cell Trait Screening for Athletic Participation, Recommends Universal Preventive Interventions and Additional Research
ASH released a policy statement opposing mandatory screening of athletes for sickle cell trait as a prerequisite to athletic participation and urging athletics programs to adopt universal interventions in their training programs to protect all athletes from exertion-related illness and death. ASH's position is in direct contrast to a policy enacted in 2010 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requiring Division I institutions to perform sickle cell testing for all incoming student athletes. Read more.

Register for ASH's February Webinar on Pregnancy and Hormone-Related Vascular Hematologic Complications
Registration is now open for the ASH Webinar titled: Thrombotic Complications in Pregnancy: One Patient, Two Perspectives. This webinar, scheduled for February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET, will provide a practical, case-based discussion of common thrombotic complications presented from the perspectives of both the hematologist and the obstetrician. The unique format reflects the structure of a multidisciplinary patient care conference held quarterly at the University of Vermont and its teaching hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care. The expertise that each specialty brings to the care of the pregnant patient and the fundamental advantages of coordinated decision-making will be emphasized. Evidence-based presentations will highlight the intersection of hematologic and obstetric patient care. For more information about this and other ASH webinars, visit www.hematology.org/webinars.

ASH Offers New PQRS Reporting Tool
ASH has developed a new Web-based tool to help hematologists obtain the one percent incentive payment for reporting quality measures for the Medicare patients they treated in calendar year 2011. The new ASH-branded registry, PQRIwizardSM, will assist hematologists in satisfactorily reporting data on quality measures under the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). The PQRIwizardSM features 25 quality measures in the areas of hematology, oncology, and general medicine, including ASH's four hematology measures on myelodysplastic syndrome, acute leukemias, multiple myeloma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Satisfactorily reporting 2011 data on quality measures for covered services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries before February 17, 2012, makes you eligible for the one percent incentive payment. The cost of PQRIwizardSM is $299. 

Need a synopsis of the most clinically relevant research findings presented at the latest ASH Annual Meeting?
As a member of the ASH practice community, we wanted to inform you about the 2012 Highlights of ASH meetings that may be of interest to you or your colleagues. Attend a meeting to:

  • Examine advances in clinical and translational hematologic research
  • Evaluate the role of new diagnostic techniques and therapeutic approaches as applied to the care and management of people with blood diseases
  • Discuss new patient management and care strategies with leading faculty

Advance Registration Deadlines: 

February 3 – Singapore 

New Category Added to Consult a Colleague: Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Consult a Colleague is a service for ASH members that helps facilitate the exchange of information between hematologists and their peers. ASH has just added a new category for consults covering Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. The full list of available categories is below: 

  • Anemias
  • Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
  • Hemostasis/Thrombosis
  • Leukemias
  • Lymphomas
  • Lymphoproliferative Disorders
  • Multiple Myeloma & Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia
  • Myeloproliferative Disorders
  • Myelodysplastic Syndromes

To learn more or to submit a request, visit www.hematology.org/consult. Assigned Colleagues will respond to inquiries within one to two business days either by email or phone.

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