Call for Abstracts deadline, Joint prostate cancer guideline, Direct supervision
March 6, 2024
| Less than one week left to submit your abstract for ASTRO 2024! | |
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Ken Rosenzweig, MD, FASTRO, Chair of the Scientific Committee for ASTRO's Annual Meeting, shares why you should submit an abstract this year! Learn more about submission eligibility, tracks and subcategories and the submission guidelines. And be sure to submit your abstract before the deadline on Tuesday, March 12, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. |
| New! Joint guideline on salvage therapy for prostate cancer! |
| AUA, ASTRO and SUO have published a guideline on salvage therapy for prostate cancer, replacing the 2018 guideline on adjuvant and salvage radiation therapy after prostatectomy. This guideline focuses on treatment decision making at the time of suspected biochemical recurrence and treatment delivery after primary radical prostatectomy; evaluation and management of suspected non-metastatic recurrence after radiation therapy, recurrence after focal therapy, and regional recurrence; and management for molecular imaging of metastatic recurrence. For a more detailed summary of the key points from the guideline, see the AUA news release. |
| ASTRO calls for a return to direct supervision |
| ASTRO advocated for a return to direct supervision for radiation therapy services, regardless of site of service, in a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The letter states that virtual supervision jeopardizes patient safety and offers little benefit in access to care. Read What's Happening in Washington for more information. |
| New spending deal partially mitigates Medicare pay cut |
| On March 3, congressional leaders released a spending deal that would increase Medicare physician pay by 1.68%, mitigating by about half the 3.4% Medicare physician pay cut that began January 1, 2024. If passed by Congress before the next shutdown deadline this week, the physician pay fix will be paid prospectively, not retroactively. For more info, see What's Happening in Washington. |
| STOP inappropriate use of IGRT with superficial radiation therapy (SRT) |
| IGRT is inappropriately being used in combination with SRT for skin cancer treatment. To elevate this issue with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ASTRO has issued a member sign-on letter that supports coding edits to stop this practice. Join over 190 of your colleagues and sign on today as we aim for our goal of 225 or more signees before our March 8 deadline! |
| Patient Safety Awareness Week 2024 is around the corner |
| ASTRO invites clinicians and practices to celebrate and promote their commitment to safe, high-quality care and a culture of safety next week, March 10 -16, for Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW). Share your safety pledge by taking a photo using an ASTRO-provided handout for individuals and groups and sharing on social media with the hashtags #PSAW24 and #ROSafety. Highlight ongoing quality improvement initiatives (e.g., RO-ILS) and thank safety champions. How will you be honoring patient safety? |
| APEx welcomes new facilities |
Congratulations to the following facilities for achieving accreditation through ASTRO’s APEx - Accreditation Program for Excellence®:
View the list of accredited facilities and contact ASTRO staff to learn about the new options for accreditation and why APEx is The Right Choice™ to accredit your radiation oncology practice. |
| Deadlines approaching for ASTRO recognition awards |
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Submit your nominations for the prestigious ASTRO recognition awards. See the details on nomination and application deadlines and eligibility requirements for each award category:
Awardees will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. |
| ASTRO contributes to the National Cancer Plan |
| On February 28, the President's Cancer Panel released the President's Cancer Panel Initial Assessment of the National Cancer Plan: A Report to the President of the United States. The report highlights recommendations for the implementation of the National Cancer Plan and includes ASTRO's and the radiation oncology community's contributions to the main tenets of the plan with the overarching goal to end cancer as we know it. |
