FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Jewler, ACCC Communications Director
301.984.9496, ext. 208
djewler@accc-cancer.org
For Immediate Release: March 21, 2007
Navigating Rough Waters: How to Chart Your Course Issues Affecting Hospitals and Oncology Practices
WHAT: The 33rd Annual National Meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers
WHEN: Thursday, March 29 – Saturday, March 31, 2007
WHERE: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, Md.
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) invites you to attend its 33rd Annual National Meeting, March 29-31, 2007, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Md. ACCC brings the leaders from the nation’s hospital-based cancer programs and oncology practices together to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing cancer care. The meeting will provide an overview of the rapidly changing regulatory and reimbursement issues in oncology and address practical strategies for dealing with evolving restraints on the delivery of quality care.
Terrence L. Kay, MS, MSW, Deputy Director, Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group, Center for Medicare Management, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will speak to attendees on March 29, 2007. He will provide insight into the agency’s focus and direction regarding physician and hospital outpatient department reimbursement policies.
Join us in honoring Harmon J. Eyre, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Eyre will receive ACCC’s Annual Achievement Award for his long-standing advocacy, dedication, and commitment to promoting the goals of cancer prevention, early detection, and quality treatment.
Among the sessions you may want to attend are:
ACCC Update: Legislation, What to Expect Next
Saturday, March 31, 9:15 am – 10:30 am
Hear from ACCC Executive Director Christian G. Downs, JD, MHA, about Medicare changes and the outlook for 2007 and 2008. Will new CMS rules translate into sizeable reductions in the payments for services—both drug administration and radiation oncology treatments—provided in hospital cancer centers and the physician office? How may patient access to cancer care be affected? Also, Marci Cali, RHIT, executive director of the Oncology State Society Network, will discuss the latest news from the Medicare Administrative Contractors, or MACs.
Affording the Technology of Quality Cancer Care, Panel Discussion and Breakout Sessions
Thursday, March 29, 1:00 pm – 3:45 pm
New technologies are offering significant advances for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and promise measurable benefits in patient outcomes and improved quality of care. While new technologies may hold great promise, some come with hefty price tags. A panel of experts will explore how cancer programs should assess and plan strategically for the adoption and implementation of new technologies, including Computed Tomography and Image-Guided Radiosurgery; Virtual Airway Surgery: Computer Assisted Visual Enhancement; Genetic Testing: Prognostic Battery; and Virtual Colonoscopy. Plus a special session (Friday, March 30, 7:30 am – 8:30 am) will focus on the present and future of proton beam radiation therapy.
Ensuring the Safety of the Drug Distribution Network: What Oncology Practices and Cancer Centers Can Do
Friday, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
With the expensive price tags associated with many drugs used to fight cancer, anti-cancer drugs may be at increased risk for counterfeiting. What is the extent of the problem and how can oncology practices and cancer centers help safeguard against drug counterfeiting? Rolando DeCardenas, vice president of Pharmaceutical Distribution for US Oncology, and Katherine Eban, an investigative reporter and author of Dangerous Doses, will examine possible future enhancements to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical products in the supply chain.
Building a New Cancer Center
Friday, March 30, 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Housing starts may be down, but new construction or additions to cancer centers continue full-speed ahead. Here’s a look at how to build a working relationship between the hospital and architect from design to construction—and a detailed checklist of how to avoid architectural and financial pitfalls.
Access to Quality Care
Thursday, March 29, 8:00 am – 9:00 am
The keynote address will be given by Armin Weinberg, PhD, director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Combining his interests in cancer education and cultural health issues, Dr. Weinberg has been instrumental in the promotion of cross-cultural learning for professionals in the cancer field, both nationally and internationally. He will discuss policies, programs, and research to eliminate the unequal burden of cancer among racial and ethnic minorities.
The Future of New Therapies
Friday, March 30, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Great promise may be offered by exciting innovations in cancer care, including new vaccines, chemotherapy, biologic agents, and targeted treatments customized for each patient. By the year 2020 will we have moved closer to making cancer a non-life-threatening chronic illness? Or will the cost and complexity of new therapies make new products out of reach for many cancer patients?
Pharmacy Survey, Pharmacy Standards, and Practical Implications
Thursday, March 29, 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Results of ACCC’s 2007 Hospital Pharmacy Survey will be presented followed by a discussion of ways to optimize clinical management and ensure medication safety. Plus, a look at ACCC’s Pharmacy Guidelines.
The Association of Community Cancer Centers provides a national forum for addressing issues that affect community cancer programs, such as regulatory and legislative issues, measurements of the quality of care, and clinical research. Its unique membership of more than 650 hospital cancer programs and oncology private practices includes all members of the cancer care team: medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, cancer program administrators and medical directors, oncology nurses, pharmacists, radiation therapists, oncology social workers, and cancer program data managers.
