President's Message: A Preview of 2008

First, I would like to say Happy New Year to all members of the NOS and their staffs. I would also like to thank the membership of the NOS for allowing me to serve my second term as President of the Society. Our goals for the upcoming year are to continue to broaden the membership and participation in the NOS as well as facilitate the communication and interaction of the academic and clinical practitioners of oncology in Nevada.

The Board of Directors of NOS has decided to change the format of the semi-annual meetings from Saturday venues (with historically light participation) to evening dinner meetings in a Las Vegas or Reno restaurant. We hope that the times will be more convenient and the concentrated programs more stimulating to the membership.

Our first meeting in Southern Nevada is scheduled for March 27 at Lawry’s The Prime Rib from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm. We are pleased to have a focus on head and neck cancer with guest speaker Dr. Robert Wang of the University of Nevada School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology. His presentation will be followed by an informal multidisciplinary panel discussion on the same subject. Our corporate members also will be present to discuss their newest products. I hope to see all of you there to kick off this new forum. Of course, we welcome other suggestions for future meetings. To register for the meeting, click here.

The subject of cancer care, outcomes and personal stories, has never been so much a part of the public dialogue in Nevada as it is now. As someone privileged to have over 20 years experience practicing medicine in Nevada, this is my personal observation. To be sure, the reasons are varied, but certainly they have some correlation with the aging population, screening diagnostic tests, and the rising influence of large multidisciplinary private practices along with research-based facilities. Of course, the evolving technology on all levels is dependent on adequate monetary resources. That means that with a faltering economy and major political forces at work in an election year, our challenge to continue providing high quality cancer care is being threatened.

The oncology community is seeing one of these challenges with the recent national coverage decision (NCD) on erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESAs) from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Although there are legitimate arguments on both sides, it illustrates the vulnerability of our patients to regulatory agencies that may not always use good science in their decisions. Also, the pending cuts of physician payment rates of 10.6% on July 1, 2008, and an additional 5% on January 1, 2009, are looming on the horizon. These changes are precisely the reason to support and strengthen professional groups such as the Nevada Oncology Society, which speaks for all of us interested in maintaining quality cancer care for our patients.

Finally, I want to extend special congratulations to Dr. John Ellerton and the Nevada Cancer Research Foundation for the recent 25th anniversary of their Clinical Community Oncology Program--CCOP. Their outstanding contributions to oncology patients and to medical research over the years cannot be underestimated. Dr. Ellerton and his team have spent countless hours providing cancer care without public fanfare or significant compensation. Unfortunately, the media all too often focuses on the negative and fails to communicate to the public that there are many medical groups and individual practitioners that also have been doing superb work over time in providing care for oncology patients in Nevada. The Nevada Oncology Society thanks Dr. Ellerton and the Nevada Cancer Research Foundation for their 25-year contribution.

Sincerely,

Dan L. Curtis, MD
NOS President