ASTRO 2025 Pres Symposium preview, Calling all social champions, APEx RPT accreditation
July 30, 2025
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New on the Blog: Looking ahead to this year’s Annual Meeting Presidential Symposium ASTRO President Sameer Keole, MD, FASTRO, sets the stage for this year’s Presidential Symposium. He offers a preview on this year’s sessions that will highlight the growing body of evidence supporting radiation therapy for non-malignant diseases, with a focus on musculoskeletal, cardiac, and functional neurologic conditions. Learn more and see the lineup of our expert speakers. |
| Call for Volunteers: #ASTRO25 Social Champions! |
| Are you active on X, Instagram or LinkedIn? ASTRO seeks volunteers attending the meeting to serve as Social Champions during the 2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Social Champions share their experiences from the science, education and social event highlights from #ASTRO25, helping others stay connected and informed about the meeting. It’s a great way to amplify your voice, spotlight important developments in the field and give attendees a glimpse into sessions and events. Interested? Fill out the application form by COB Friday, August 22. |
| Submit your abstract by October 8 for these multidisciplinary meetings |
Two multidisciplinary meetings will be co-located at the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, California:
Please carefully review the guidelines for abstract submission (linked above for each meeting) and submit your abstract(s) by Wednesday, October 8! |
| New RadOnc Report Podcast on Medicare Physician Payment Rules | |
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In the latest episode of the RadOnc Report, ASTRO Vice President of Advocacy Dave Adler is interviewed by Avery Adler regarding the recent Medicare Payment Rules for 2026. During this podcast, Dave touches on the regulatory process for Medicare’s regulations, what the impact of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule is on radiation oncology and next steps, including ASTRO’s education for members and comments to CMS. Additionally, Dave discusses how this will impact the ROCR Act and ASTRO advocacy this year. |
| To review and garner feedback on the major changes coming for radiation therapy coding and Medicare Reimbursement, join the ASTRO Town Hall on Tuesday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Additional Resources: Review ASTRO’s MPFS Summary and HOPPs Summary. |
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| CMS proposes limited change for 2026 Quality Payment Program |
| On July 14, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2025 Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed 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. |
| NCI to limit grant awards |
| Last week, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that for fiscal year 2025 it will not establish a specific RO1 payline for applications not yet awarded. Further, NCI expects to fund only those applications that score in the top 4% in FY25 because of budget reductions and a new policy requiring that at least one-half of remaining research project grant (RPG) funds be awarded upfront. For more information, go to What’s Happening in Washington. |
| ASTRO sends letter to Commerce Secretary opposing tariffs on radiopharmaceuticals and medical isotopes |
| Together with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Radiology (ACR), American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), and Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), ASTRO sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing concern about negative effects of potential tariffs on the import of radiopharmaceuticals, medical isotopes, and related materials for patient care and urges the administration to exempt these materials from tariffs. For more information, please see What’s Happening in Washington. |
| APEx facility announcements, first facilities achieve accredited RPT designation | |
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Congratulations to the following facilities for achieving reaccreditation and additional RPT designation through ASTRO’s APEx - Accreditation Program for Excellence®:
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