Members of Congress recently reintroduced the Cancer Drug Parity Act (H.R. 4385) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would ensure patient cost sharing for oral and other self-administered anticancer drugs is no less favorable than for traditional intravenous (IV) medication administered in an office setting.

On July 13, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its proposed rule for the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and updates to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is still analyzing the full proposal, but based on a preliminary analysis, key provisions for the cancer care community are included here. 

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) members who are practicing oncologists may have received emails inviting them to participate in the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Specialty Society Relative Value Scale (RVS) Update Committee (RUC) survey.

The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) submitted comments to a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth.” The comments convey ASCO’s views on how telehealth can better serve individuals with cancer and the oncology professionals who care for them.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Rates Proposed Rule. The proposed rule would update the Medicare fee-for-service payment rates and policies for inpatient hospitals and long-term care hospitals for FY 2022.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, the House passed the Senate bill to extend the moratorium on the 2% Medicare sequestration cuts through the end of the calendar year. President Biden signed the bill into law on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. CMS has resumed processing claims. 

Both chambers of the United States Congress recently passed separate bills to extend the temporary moratorium on the 2% sequestration cut to Medicare reimbursement. The moratorium is currently set to expire on March 31, 2021, and both bills would extend the moratorium until December 31, 2021. However, since the House and Senate legislation differ, further action is needed before the extension becomes law.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will hold physicians harmless from Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) penalties due to the significant disruptions the COVID-19 public health emergency placed on physician practices’ performance in 2020.