New Strategies magazine - The Changing Face of the Oncology Practice

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On October 21, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to delay the start date of the Radiation Oncology (RO) model until July 1, 2021. The change comes following stakeholder concerns—the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) among them—about the challenges of implementing the model by the initial start date, January 1, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CMS Finalizes FY 2021 Inpatient Rule
On September 2, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the FY 2021 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule. ASH submitted comments in July on the proposed rule. The Society is pleased that many of the provisions ASH supported have been finalized, including the creation of a new Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Immunotherapy, now the highest weighted MS-DRG with an unadjusted national base payment of around $240,000. CMS also finalized its proposal to exclude clinical trial cases from the calculation of the weight of the new MS-DRG in order to account for the cost differentiation between clinical trial and non-clinical trial cases. CMS’s final ruling on CAR-T reimbursement is a major advocacy win for ASH!

ASH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts
Help ASH eliminate inequities in hematology by getting involved with our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. ASH has created an online library related to its programs in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which includes a growing archive of stories from diverse voices in hematology.

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NEW ASH Virtual Listening Sessions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Coming soon: The ASH Virtual Listening Sessions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will explore issues facing those from backgrounds traditionally disadvantaged in medicine, as well as DEI opportunities in the hematology community. ASH is currently seeking participants willing to share their thoughts and experiences on DEI issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and/or sexual orientation for the first set of listening sessions.

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