Oncology Newsfeed

An Update from CMS on New Direction for Innovation Center

Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of the more than 1,000 comments the agency received in response to its “New Direction” RFI for the Innovation Center. In a statement, the agency said that it is sharing the feedback “to promote transparency and facilitate further discussion” on ways to move the Innovation Center in a new direction. Learn more.

CMS also opened a new RFI for a “potential model in the area of direct provider contracting” as a next step. The agency is seeking input on a possible direct provider contracting care model between payers and primary care or multispecialty groups.The model might be tested within the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) program (Medicare Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage program (Medicare Part C), and Medicaid. Read more on the RFI.

Posted 4/24/2018

President Trump's Speech on Drug Pricing Postponed

FDA Approves Fostamatinib Tablets for ITP

FDA Approves Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma

On April 16, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval to nivolumab and ipilimumab (Opdivo and Yervoy, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.) in combination for the treatment of intermediate or poor risk previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Read the full press release here.

Posted 4/16/2018

HHS Secretary Names New Leader of CMMI

ACS CAN Releases Report on Barriers to Enrollment in Clinical Trials

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) has released a report detailing the barriers to patient enrollment in therapeutic clinical trials for cancer. In its report, ACS CAN compiles all relevant evidence for clinical trial barriers in one place and discusses them in relation to each other, addressing each component’s contribution to the problem as a whole. ACS CAN also provides a complementary set of 23 recommendations for overcoming clinical trial barriers in numerous areas, including provider and institutional barriers, patient barriers, trial-design barriers, and disparities.

Read the executive summary, full report, and recommendations for overcoming clinical trial barriers here.

Posted 4/11/2018

FDA Approves Rucaparib for Recurrent Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, Peritoneal Cancer

On April 6, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved rucaparib (Rubraca, Clovis Oncology Inc.), a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, for the maintenance treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Read the FDA announcement here.

CMS Begins Mailing Out New Medicare Cards

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun mailing its newly-designed Medicare cards with new Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers to newly eligible and current Medicare beneficiaries. Cards will be sent out on a rolling basis throughout 2018 to fulfill the CMS requirement to remove Social Security Numbers from all Medicare cards by April 2019.

CMS will host a special Open Door Forum on April 5, 12:30 – 1:30 PM EST, to share updates about the new Medicare card mailing, information on how people with Medicare can look up their new Medicare card number or print a replacement card, and updates on resources for partners. To participate, visit https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/r51uia09fgq/ and use the following information:

• Dial-In Number: 1-800-837-1935
• Conference ID #: 7065199

Check cms.gov/newcard often for the most up-to-date information.

Posted 4/4/2018

ASTRO Updates Guideline for Palliative Lung Radiation

On April 4, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued an update to its clinical guideline for the use of palliative-intent radiation therapy for patients with incurable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The updated guideline now recommends the addition of concurrent chemotherapy to radiation therapy for certain patients with incurable stage III NSCLC that are able to tolerate chemotherapy and have a longer life expectancy than three months, reflecting new evidence gathered from randomized clinical trials.

Read the press release from ASTRO here.

Posted 4/4/2018

CMS Reports 11.9 Million Enrolled in Health Insurance Exchanges

According to a tally released Tuesday, April 3, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), about 11.8 million nationwide enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare plans, a 3 percent drop from 12.2 million enrollees in 2017. This decrease in enrollment follows the Trump Administration’s cuts to insurance subsidy payments and ACA outreach and advertising, as well as a halving of the enrollment period from 12 to 6 weeks.

Read CMS’s final report on the 2018 open enrollment period here.

Posted 4/4/2018