Oncology Business Management

After months of wrangling, a call for a vote by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on an amended version of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4015).

Converting from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will result in information and financial losses to providers, report researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago

Federal regulators have ordered the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe to stop marketing its saliva-based test without necessary approvals as a medical device

The FDA has placed a full clinical hold on the development of the investigational telomerase inhibitor imetelstat following concerns over consistent low-grade liver function test (LFT) abnormalities

Evidence that demonstrates how best to implement newer value-based purchasing (VBP) programs like accountable care organizations (ACOs) and bundled payments is lacking

The US cancer care system is faced with increasing cuts to Medicare payments, the prospect of a dramatic increase in the number of patients with cancer, and proportionately fewer oncology specialists to treat them.

More oncology practices are looking to advanced practice nurses and other non-physician providers to meet the needs of their cancer patients.

New research suggests that spending on anticancer agents is moderating, going against national trends that suggest an uptick in the US prescription drug expenditures this year.

Set for full rollout on October 1, the much delayed 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems is probably the biggest revision to medical coding and billing since computerized medical coding and billing practices began decades ago.

With the adoption of a patient engagement initiative, Gwinnett Medical Center in Atlanta was able to improve the billing experience for 86% of patients surveyed.

Repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, a mechanism Congress enacted in 1997 to limit Medicare costs, is going to leave taxpayers with a bill of $60 billion from 2014 through 2019, and a total of $138 billion through 2024.

Bavituximab, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' lead clinical immunotherapeutic candidate, received Fast Track designation from the FDA to kick off 2014.

Bucking a trend reported for many years, new compensation data suggest the gap between what primary care physicians are paid and what medical and surgical specialists are paid is decreasing.

For 18 years, Thomas Whittaker, MD, worked as an independent oncologist and as a physician partner in Central Indiana Cancer Centers, a private practice group of 17 doctors that provided medical and radiation oncology care to patients with cancer.

Hospitals and medical centers that provide chemotherapy infusion services to their cancer patients on an outpatient basis generally get paid more than oncologists and hematologists who provide the same services in a private office.

Genetic counseling-including testing and risk assessment-is one of the most rapidly growing areas of oncology and has become the standard of care for patients with a personal and family history of breast, ovary, or colon cancer.

Improvements in quality of care and reductions in hospitalizations were minimal

More and more solo practices are facing a transformation that is neither small nor simple in the current accountable care environment.

Results from the final report of the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Security Survey suggest that physician practices and health care organizations such as hospitals view their own staff members as the greatest source of patient information and confidentiality security breaches.

Galena Biopharma is looking to expand its presence in the oncology field by developing and acquiring targeted cancer agents.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is caving to pressure from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) to conduct far more extensive end-to-end testing to assure proper adjudication and payment of claims as the October 1 deadline for the ICD-10 transition looms

Traditionally, palliative care for patients with cancer is geared towards end-of-life measures, but a new study from the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto suggests patients who receive palliative care earlier in their cancer therapy report improved quality of life and greater satisfaction.

Providing access to health information technology and health information exchanges isn't always enough to avoid ordering duplicative tests

High-tech eyewear could soon help surgeons remove tumors from patients with breast cancer or melanoma by allowing them to see the margins of tumors more accurately when a dye is used to fluoresce a tumor's borders.

Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD, discusses the recent approval of ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have received at least one previous therapy.