Oncology Business Management

When CMS switched from ICD-9 to ICD-10 last year, the new diagnosis classification list allowed coders to translate additional elements of doctors’ language to billers’ language. However, some coders would like to see that vocabulary expand further, particularly in the area of comorbidities and complications.

A new drug application to the FDA has been completed for niraparib as a maintenance treatment for women with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

The FDA has has granted a priority review to a new drug application for brigatinib for patients with metastatic ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer who are resistant to prior crizotinib.

CVS Health has changed its mind about excluding physician-owned dispensaries from Medicare Part D drug distribution.

Before undergoing surgery, radiation therapy, or a systemic treatment, Clayton S. Lau, MD, advises that the active surveillance approach for some patients with early prostate cancer is likely a more effective approach—but they should be better educated on it.

Yvonne Saenger, MD, director of Melanoma Immunotherapy at Columbia University Medical Center, discusses the importance of developing accurate biomarkers when it comes to administering immunotherapy.

The evolving healthcare landscape creates many challenges for community-based oncology practices. As the market shifts from fee-for-service to value-based care, practices are tasked with improving quality while reducing costs.

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to nivolumab as a treatment for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma following progression on a platinum-containing therapy.

The FDA has updated the label for enzalutamide in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer to include new data from the phase II TERRAIN study.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval olaratumab in combination with doxorubicin for the treatment of patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who are not good candidates for radiotherapy or surgery.

David L. Rimm, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and of medicine, director of pathology tissue services, director of translational pathology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses various options for biomarker testing in lung cancer.

Fee-for-service remains the primary driver of patient revenue for the majority of oncology practices across the country, and the same is true for The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Edward P. Ambinder, MD, discusses advances on improving the interoperability of computer technology to facilitate the sharing and security of patient records for the purposes of furthering patient-centric, coordinated, and value-based care.

The Final Rule from CMS on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) eases the pressure on small, rural practices to meet reporting and performance standards and explains more about the intentions behind the recently announced 2017 transition year.

Ezra Cohen, MD, associate director, Moores Cancer Center, professor of Medicine, University of California, San Diego Health System, discusses biomarker testing in patients with head and neck cancer.

After flat-fee system of financing cancer care at two large oncology practices in Northern California has improved patient outcomes and increased doctor compensation while defying inflationary pressures and holding the line on treatment costs.