National Policy Resources—Local Advocacy Results

As cancer care professionals who experience the challenges of providing quality cancer care first-hand, VAHO 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!

Federal Advocacy

VAHO Joins Coalition Letter Urging Addition of the Cures 2.0 Concept Paper Title IV Provisions in the Next COVID-19 Relief Package

The Virginia Association of Hematologists and Oncologists (VAHO) joined in a coalition letter to congressional leadership urging that Congress include the 21st Century Cures 2.0 concept paper, recently released by Representatives Diana DeGette and Fred Upton in upcoming legislation to further address the COVID-19 public health crisis. Specifically the letter urges leadership to include policy to provide Medicaid coverage of the routine care costs of clinical trials participation for patients with life-threatening conditions in every state. This critical protection is championed by Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Gus Bilirakis in the Clinical Treatment Act (H.R. 913).

COVID-19 Clinical Trials Coalition Letter

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

CMS Issues Sweeping Regulatory Waivers & Changes to Further Expand Telehealth Options

On April 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued another round of sweeping regulatory waivers and rule changes aimed at further increasing access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Among the announced changes, CMS is:

Expanding the types of providers able to provide services via telehealth to Medicare beneficiaries to include physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.
Allowing hospitals to bill for telehealth services provided by hospital-based practitioners in Medicare outpatient settings (including when patients are at home when the home is serving as a temporary provider-based department of the hospital). The agency states that this might include counseling, educational, and therapy services.
Expanding the types of services reimbursable under Medicare for audio-only telehealth visits to include behavioral health and patient education services, and increasing reimbursement (retroactively to March 1) for audio-only telehealth visits.
Waiving the video requirement for telehealth E/M services. These are now added to the list of audio-only telehealth services that are reimbursable visits.
Expediting the process for adding new services to the list of those Medicare services that can be provided by telehealth.
Permitting rural health clinics and federally qualified health clinics to provide telehealth as a distant site, thus enabling Medicare beneficiaries to receive care from home.

Read the CMS announcement for full details.

Posted 5/1/2020

National Policy Resources—Local Advocacy Results

Federal Advocacy

FROM THE ACCCBUZZ BLOG

Advocacy In the News

CMS Issues Sweeping Regulatory Waivers & Changes to Further Expand Telehealth Options

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