In a September 15 letter, ASTRO urged the President’s Cancer Panel to support the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) proposal and other key initiatives to support radiation oncology in achieving that National Cancer Plan’s goals.  The letter follows on the September 7 meeting of the President’s Cancer Panel, where ASTRO President Jeff Michalski, MD, MBA, FASTRO, discussed ASTRO efforts to contribute to goals, including delivering optimal care, eliminating inequities, optimizing the workforce and maximizing data utility. During the meeting, panelists asked Dr. Michalski for specific recommendations, and ASTRO’s letter urges the panel to:

• Support legislation to reform Medicare payment for radiation oncology through ROCR.
• Increase cancer research investments at the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute in radiation therapy research,
• Address radiation oncology workforce shortages and maldistribution, as well as support a diverse pipeline entering the STEM and health care fields, and
• Provide funding to create, test and implement data standards to ensure cancer data is accurate, robust, and interchangeable. 

The panel is expected to issue a report to President Biden summarizing and making recommendations from the Sept. 7 meeting to help achieve the National Cancer Plan goals.