New Congressional Bill Would Guarantee Patient Access to Oral Cancer Meds Within 72 Hours Reps. Sewell (D-AL) and Bilirakis (R-FL) Introduce Bipartisan "Timely Access to Cancer Treatment (TACT)" Act Oncology professionals are familiar with the arcane approval processes of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurers. Steps like prior authorization and fail-first therapy force patients

Don't Miss #COA2021! Community Oncology's Event of the Year Comes to Your Computer Next Week Next Thursday and Friday, thousands of viewers are tuning in to the 2021 Community Oncology Conference. Are you among them? For practicing health care professionals, advocates, employers, and employer health groups, you can't afford to miss the biggest community

COA Asks Congress to Extend Suspension of Medicare Sequester Critical to Helping Community Oncology Practices Survive Pandemic Earlier this month, COA sent a letter to Congress asking that the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration be extended through the end of 2021. This will help independent, community oncology practices keep their doors open and treat

COA Requests Approval for Community Oncology Practices to Administer COVID-19 Vaccinations Practices Uniquely Positioned to Contribute to Vaccination Effort Earlier this month, COA sent a letter to all 50 U.S. governors urging them to give independent, community oncology practices priority approval to administer COVID-19 vaccinations. Local oncology practices have the infrastructure and technology to

COA Files for Preliminary Injunction and Restraining Order Against MFN Experiment Policy Would Irreparably Harm Patients with Cancer Following our submission of a formal complaint, COA has taken the next step to stop the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing experiment and filed for

COA Opposes Dangerous, Misguided "Most Favored Nation" Experiment Policy Will Harm Patients and Cancer Providers' Ability to Access Lifesaving Drugs On Friday, November 20, President Trump issued regulation meant to curb drug prices. This regulation creates a Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing model for Medicare Part B that ties drug prices to those

Catch Up with the 2020 Payer Exchange Summit Annual Meeting Included Payment Reform's Brightest Minds In case you missed it, this week was the virtual 2020 Payer Exchange Summit (PES) on Oncology Payment Reform. Featuring experts in all aspects of payment reform, from value-based insurance design to the role of biosimilars to updates from

COA Statement on Telehealth in Cancer Care Telehealth Should Continue After Pandemic in Appropriate Circumstances COA recently released a formal position statement on telehealth which notes that without it the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic would have ground cancer care to a halt. The rapid expansion of telehealth infrastructure and the loosening of regulations allowed

2020 Mid-Year Member Update Now Available Summary of COA Activity Free for MyCOA Members The first half of 2020 was eventful for COA. COVID-19 has presented many challenges for community oncology, and COA responded with several initiatives, resources, and statements to support patients and their treatment providers. If you missed some of these important

COA & CPAN Hosting Virtual Advocacy Summit July 15th Patients and Advocates Learn from Policy Experts On July 15, COA and the Community Oncology Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN) will host the Virtual Community Oncology Advocacy Summit: Cancer Care in a COVID-19 World. Attendees will learn how to be better advocates after hearing from those