Last month, Congress voted to delay a potentially devastating 25% Medicare physician pay cut through 2011. ASCO is advocating that Congress use the 12-month reprieve to repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for a new system that pays physicians fairly for their services. An ASCO poll revealed that nearly one-third of members would consider closing their practice to Medicare patients should the SGR cut be implemented. ASCO has already reached out to incumbents and new members of Congress to ensure that Medicare reimbursement remains a priority for 2011.

Congress Passes Legislation Exempting Physicians from FTC 'Red Flags Rule'

Congress has passed a bill exempting physicians from the Federal Trade Commission's "Red Flags Rule." The rule would have required physicians to be treated as creditors and mandated they implement identity theft and monitoring programs, creating additional bureaucracies for practices. This past summer, ASCO along with 24 other medical societies filed a motion to be added as plaintiffs to the federal lawsuit filed by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, and the Medical Society for the District of Columbia, contesting the application of the Red Flags Rule to physicians.

IOM & ASCO to Host Implementation Workshops on Cooperative Group Report

ASCO is partnering with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to host implementation workshops related to the IOM consensus report, A National Cancer Clinical Trials System for the 21st Century: Reinvigorating the NCI Cooperative Group Program. The initial workshop is scheduled for March. The goal of the workshops is to identify and examine ways to implement the report's recommendations and establish implementation expectations for the coming year. Subsequent workshops will be held in 2012 to discuss progress and identify additional action steps. Invited stakeholders include representatives from the NCI, clinical trials cooperative groups, public and private payors, the FDA, industry, community and academic investigators, patient advocates, and cancer centers. ■