Coding Seminar available on the Academy, Nominate an outstanding mentor, Advocacy in action

February 7, 2024

Upcoming deadline: Advance rate ends Friday, February 9, for the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium

Make your plans now to join us in person in Phoenix or virtually for this vital multidisciplinary meeting! A previous participant shared, “This meeting is truly multidisciplinary, and it is great to get the perspective of surgeons, med onc/rad onc, supportive care staff like dieticians and speech-language pathologists, along with the perspective of the patients themselves.” Another said, “This meeting addresses the nuances of head and neck cancer from experts in the field that you won’t get from any textbook or guidelines.” Learn more and register by February 9 to save!

 

ASTRO’s Coding and Coverage Seminar now on the ASTRO Academy

The December 2023 Coding and Coverage seminar was recorded and is now available for purchase in the ASTRO Academy. For a limited time only, those interested will have the opportunity to purchase the recording in full or select from specific program sessions. Residents and members-in-training can purchase the recordings at a reduced price. Note, individual case studies and the Q&A session that were held during the live session are not included in the recording. Attendees of the 2023 seminar have called this ASTRO’s “best coding seminar yet” and “critical to enforcing or expanding your coding knowledge.”

 

Recording available: The Impact of ROCR On Your Future

Last week, ASTRO health policy experts held a webinar for early career members. The recording is now available on the early career section of ASTRO.org. Watch this webinar to learn more about ROCR, ASTRO's legislative proposal to create a new Radiation Oncology Case Rate program. The webinar also includes a primer on the current payment system.

 

Last call for comments on ART Safety White Paper

ASTRO is accepting public comments on the safety white paper Quality and Safety Considerations for Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART). The focus of this consensus-based document is safety and quality assurance practices that are relevant to specific elements in the workflows for ART. Submit comments via the webform by this Sunday, February 11.

 

ASTRO shows its support for broader access to clinical trials

ASTRO joined coalition partners sending a letter to HHS OIG supporting broader, more diverse participation in clinical trials. In response to an annual request from HHS, the coalition proposed a “safe harbor” from the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute that would allow trial sponsors to provide key financial support to participants in order to offset their non-medical costs. Visit What’s Happening in Washington for key details and more information.

 

ASTRO weighs in on telehealth for OTVs prior to 2025 CMS rulemaking

ASTRO opposed the use of telehealth for the on-treatment visit (OTV) component of the weekly treatment management code (CPT code 77427) in a comment letter submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week. Read What’s Happening in Washington for more information.

 

Reminder: New NCI funding opportunity

NCI Radiation Research Program, along with partners in NCI (CBIIT) and NIH (ODSS), announced a new administrative supplement funding opportunity for Digital Twins in Radiation Oncology. See the full Notice of Special Interest for details. Applications are due Thursday, March 21.

 

2024 Mentorship Award: Call for nominations!

ASTRO’s Mentorship Award recognizes extraordinary role models in radiation oncology who have excelled as mentors by demonstrating outstanding commitment to the professional development of their mentees as clinicians, educators and researchers. Nominations must be submitted by a colleague or mentee by April 3. View details on the nomination process and eligibility criteria and send any questions via email.

 

Hot off the press: The 2024 Winter edition of ASTROnews

In the latest ASTROnews, explore integrative oncology, which merges conventional medical treatments with complementary therapies. The authors featured in this issue are top experts in the field of integrative oncology and provide perspectives on how you can introduce these complementary therapies to your patients. Feature articles include Bridging Conventional and Complementary Approaches; Exercise Oncology: Improving Overall Health while Treating Cancer; Incorporating Yoga; Integrative Oncology Training programs and much more!