ROCR Act, 2025 QPP Final Rule, Seeking APEx Surveyors
November 13, 2024
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The Virtual Coding and Coverage Seminar includes the 2025 Coding Resource! The Virtual Coding and Coverage Seminar on Saturday, December 7, will address coding and coverage policies specific to radiation oncology, coding pitfalls, how to assign accurate coding to a clinical case study, health care reforms and their impact on radiation oncology reimbursement and more. View the schedule for an in-depth look at what will be covered. The goal of this seminar is to make clinical coding easier to understand and apply for radiation oncology practices. Participants receive an electronic and print copy of the 2025 ASTRO Coding Resource. Don’t miss this practice-changing session. Register now! |
| Register for the next DEIinRO Webinar on Parenthood and Radiation Oncology |
| Join us for the Parenthood and Radiation Oncology: Challenges, Triumphs and Opportunities to Create an Inclusive Culture webinar on Friday, November 15 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. This interactive session will explore the challenges and opportunities parents in radiation oncology and medical physics face. Panelists will help to increase awareness of policy advancements and opportunities to support parents in medicine and empower attendees with knowledge to navigate the transition to and from parental leave. Don’t miss this must-attend event! Register now. |
| New on the Blog: The ROCR Act: Past, Present and Future |
| As 2024 winds down, this is a good time to take stock of radiation oncology’s efforts to advance Medicare payment reform legislation, known as the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value Based Program Act (S. 4330/HR 8404). Read more in this post from ASTRO CEO Vivek Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO. |
| Tell your members of Congress to support prior auth reform |
| Tell Congress to cosponsor the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R.8702 / S.4532) to reform prior authorization using our convenient grassroots tool! The bill is under consideration for a year-end legislative package, so now is a crucial time to voice your support for the bill. |
| CMS finalizes limited change for 2025 Quality Payment Program |
| On November 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2025 Quality Payment Program (QPP) final rule that includes modest policy changes to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), the MIPS Value Pathways (MVP) framework, including the Advancing Cancer MVP, and the Advanced Alternative Payment Model program. More information can be found in ASTRO’s summary. |
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ASTRO’s APEx – Accreditation Program for Excellence is inviting radiation oncologists and medical physicists from the central U.S. region to apply as surveyors. We are particularly seeking candidates with extensive expertise in proton and radiopharmaceutical therapies. Learn more about the role and requirements on the APEx Surveyor webpage and contact APEX Support with questions. |
| Four states have new APEx-accredited facilities | |
Congratulations to the following facilities for achieving initial accreditation through ASTRO’s APEx - Accreditation Program for Excellence®:
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| Hurry! Apply now for research grants on non-malignant conditions | |
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The deadline to submit a letter of intent for the Expanding Indications for Radiation Therapy request for proposals is Friday, November 22, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Through the 2025 Innovation Awards, the Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) – the ASTRO Foundation – will support ground-breaking research on radiation therapy for the treatment of non-cancerous conditions with grants of up to $150,000. Visit the ROI website for details on eligibility and how to apply. |
| Reminder to vote on the Bylaws changes |
| Voting is open until November 22 on changes to the existing ASTRO bylaws, as presented at ASTRO’s Annual Business Meeting on October 1, in Washington, DC. Changes include revising the Affiliate Member Category description; limiting the number of Board members from one institution serving on the Board at the same time; and increasing the number of supporting signatures needed for member nominations to be included on the ballot for elections to make it proportional with the number of members.
View the revised bylaws and access the ballot at www.astro.org/vote. The ballot and instructions will appear once you log in with your email address and password. If you need assistance with your login information, please email Membership. |
