National Policy Resources—Local Advocacy Results

As cancer care professionals who experience the challenges of providing quality cancer care first-hand, TACOS members are well positioned to educate decision-makers on how coverage and reimbursement issues affect community oncology. State and federal legislation can have a significant impact on the financial viability of local cancer programs, which is why it's so important that our members make their voices heard.

In an effort to provide resources needed to effectively advocate on the issues that are important to them, our redesigned advocacy webpage features activity from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), national healthcare coverage through the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), local news articles and webinars, and more.

We want to hear from you! If there is a specific piece of legislation you want to know more about, an important resource we're missing, or if you want to get more involved, please contact us!

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ASCO® Advocacy Summit
April 16-17, 2024

Sharad Khurana, MD, MSC President Elect for The Arizona Clinical Oncology Society (TACOS), Named Advocacy Champion by the Association for Clinical Oncology

The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) named Dr. Khurana as an Advocacy Champion during the 2024 ASCO Advocacy Summit in April. Advocacy Champions are ASCO volunteers who have made meaningful contributions to the Association’s advocacy activities throughout the year to ensure that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality, equitable cancer care no matter who they are or where they live. Advocates speak with federal lawmakers and agencies, send personalized letters to Members of Congress through ASCO’s ACT Network, engage with state lawmakers on policy priorities at the state-level, and host site visits for lawmakers in their home states and districts.

Throughout the past year, Dr. Khurana has worked with TACOS on Policy in Arizona that would affect cancer patients along with federal policy.

Sharad Khurana, MD, MSC is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

For more news, advocacy, and analysis on cancer policy, please visit asco.org/association.

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TACOS President-Elect Sharad Khurana, MD, MSC from the University of Arizona participated in ASCO Advocacy Day, April 16-17, 2024. He was able to meet with Representative Juan Ciscomani of Arizona along with Sameer Keole, MD from the Mayo Clinic.

State Advocacy

Biomarker Testing in Arizona

In 2022, ACS CAN led a successful legislative campaign in Arizona to expand access to biomarker testing. In this recently released video, Governor Ducey, Representative Regina Cobb, Dr. Rachna Shroff, and Holly Hill reflect on the impact this law will have on patients across the state.

Posted 09/22/2022

Arizona Celebrates Huge Victory with the Signing of SB 1270!

Last week marks a major victory for Arizonans with the signing of Senate Bill 1270, which provides common-sense guardrails to ensure transparent, efficient, and fair processes for patients and their providers. Read full one pager.

Posted 07/12/2021

Arizonans for Step Therapy Reform: New Op-Ed Shines Light on Step Therapy's Harm

As conversations with bill sponsors and the Governor's office continue about the timing to bring SB 1270 to the floor of the full House, read this recent opinion piece, which shines light on the impact of step therapy on Arizona families.

Posted 04/29/2021

Arizonans for Step Therapy Reform: An Update on SB 1270

Conversations are continuing with the Governor's office about whether or not SB 1270 must be tied to the state budget. In a recent op-ed, Jasleen Chhatwal, president of the Arizona Psychiatric Society, weighs in on how step therapy interferes in doctor-patient relationships. Read it here.

Posted 04/16/2021

Arizonans for Step Therapy Reform: An Update on SB 1270

The Rules Committee has cleared Senate Bill 1270 by Senator Nancy Barto to head to the House floor. Please continue to reach out to House members and engage on social media. For a list of House members and their contact information, click here.

Posted 04/02/2021

Arizonans for Step Therapy Reform: An Update on SB 1270

10-year-old Tucson advocate captures media attention after sharing her story about step therapy's impact on a child with juvenile arthritis. As we wait for the House to vote on Senate Bill 1270: Insurance; Prescription Drugs; Step Therapy, please be sure to follow @OSSatACCC and @AZStepReform on Twitter and thank @NancyBarto for sponsoring this bill, which would ensure patient access to quality and timely treatment.

Posted 03/30/2021

Guest Column: Arizona legislators should support bill to help improve patient care

In light of Senate Bill 1270: Insurance; Prescription Drugs; Step Therapy having been sent from the Senate to the House of Representatives, TACOS Board Member Raju Vaddepally, MD, Yuma Regional Medical Center Cancer Center, published an opinion piece on the importance of this bill in ensuring patient access to quality and timely treatment. Read it here.

Posted 03/08/2021

FROM THE ACCCBUZZ BLOG

An Update on Healthcare Legislation at the State Level
By Christian G. Downs, MHA, JD
March 22, 2023
If you are looking for legislative action, look no further than your state's legislatures. Most—if not all—states have had issues relating to oncology care and healthcare in general come up during their 2023 sessions.
ACCC Announces its 2023 Advocacy Agenda
March 07, 2023
For 2023, ACCC members have identified four core areas of focus (e.g., reimbursement, utilization management, provider-patient choice), among a larger set of issues and concerns, that the association will be supporting this year.
ACCC Recognizes National Caregivers Day: Analyzing a Mental Health Crisis
February 17, 2023
Today is National Caregivers Day, and ACCCBuzz analyzes the current mental health crisis that is affecting the caregivers of loved ones everywhere.

Advocacy In the News

ASCO Statement on Home Infusions Raises Safety Concerns

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has released a position statement on Home Infusion of Anticancer Therapy that raises safety and oversight concerns related to home infusion of anticancer therapy and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations regarding the practice.

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has enabled temporary flexibility related to home infusion for Part B cancer drugs.

“We understand that COVID-19 has resulted in treatment challenges in some cases, and that home infusion services have been utilized as an alternative to treatment in outpatient facilities, but it is still unclear if the benefits outweigh the risks of this approach,”ASCO President Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, said in a statement. “During and beyond this pandemic, patient safety must continue to be the first priority, and the decision to administer anticancer therapy in a home setting should be made only if both the treating physician and patient agree it’s in the patient’s best interest.”

ASCO states that the decision to administer anticancer therapy in a home setting should be made by the treating physician in consultation with the patient, and only after consideration of the availability of necessary precautions to protect medical staff, patients, and caregivers during infusion and disposal. The position statement makes the following six recommendations:

Publicly funded independent research should be conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of home infusion of anticancer therapy.
CMS should not extend the temporary flexibility related to home infusion for Part B cancer drugs that was approved as part of the agency's response to the public health emergency.
CMS should consult closely with oncology experts prior to implementation of its home infusion benefit in 2021, to ensure that it is only used when the treating physician and patient determine that home infusion is the most appropriate setting based on the patient’s need and treatment plan. Quality reporting for home infusion therapy services should require collection of oncology-specific measures to enable the evaluation of safety in anticancer therapy administration.
With anticancer therapy, home infusion benefit policies from public and commercial insurance providers should be strictly limited to exceptional circumstances where the benefits of home infusion outweigh the potential risks to patients.
Any insurance provider designing a system to deliver pre-prepared antineoplastic drugs to clinical staff should consult with treating oncologists prior to implementation.
Home infusion benefit policies from public and commercial insurance providers should require verification that necessary safety protocols and precautions are in place to protect health care personnel, patients, and caregivers.

Read ASCO's news release and position statement.

Posted 7/31/2020

National Policy Resources—Local Advocacy Results

ASCO® Advocacy Summit April 16-17, 2024

State Advocacy

FROM THE ACCCBUZZ BLOG

Advocacy In the News

ASCO Statement on Home Infusions Raises Safety Concerns

Helpful Links

ASCO® Advocacy Summit
April 16-17, 2024