Congress is on recess, but that does not mean ASCO is slowing down efforts to remove cuts to cancer care in the proposed Medicare fee schedule. Following are some actions you can take this month, to communicate how cuts to Medicare will hinder patient access to care.
1) Contact your Members of Congress when they are home during the August recess. Here’s how:
- Attend a Town Hall Meeting: Most Members of Congress host Town Hall meetings when they are in their home districts. At these events, you can ask questions, introduce yourself, and tell your Representative and Senators about the issues that affect you and your patients. Most legislators post scheduled town hall meetings on their Web sites. (Members’ Web sites can be found at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov.) ASCO has also developed tips for attending a town hall meeting to help you prepare.
- Schedule an In-person Meeting: A face-to-face meeting with your Member of Congress or the Member’s staff is often the best way to share your concerns. ASCO has composed a guide on scheduling and preparing for in-person meetings.
- Host a Site Visit: Invite your Member of Congress to your office, where you can educate the Member and his/her staff about what happens in an oncology practice or a research facility. ASCO’s Web site offers guidance on how to schedule and prepare for a site visit.
Your greatest strength in communicating to your legislator is your experience as an oncologist treating people with cancer. Your Member of Congress needs to hear your perspective and learn first-hand from you about how continued cuts to Medicare will impede your ability to care for cancer patients.
2) Complete the Components of Care Study survey, designed to identify and quantify the clinical and operational components of cancer care delivery. The results will be used to demonstrate the complexity of cancer care delivery, as well as provide specific data on appropriate payment for services. The survey was developed by Avalere Health with the Community Oncology Alliance.
3) Share your story with ASCO. It will be very helpful to provide specific examples and real-life stories to Congress, CMS, and the media about the impact that the fee schedule cuts will have on your practice and your patients. Please send any comments you would like to share about the effects cuts to Medicare are having on your practice to
publicpolicy@asco.org.
For updates on Medicare and other legislative activities, ASCO’s new Web page, “
Cancer Policy and Health Care Priorities,” provides information on action ASCO is taking to fight the fee schedule cuts and to make the voice of the oncologist heard in health care reform debates.
Contact ASCO’s Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department with any questions at 571-483-1670 or
publicpolicy@asco.org.
