Extend your learning beyond live meetings, Denials update, Deadline approaching for Mentor Awards
March 4, 2026
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| Update your knowledge and skills without leaving your office – via the annual ASTRO Virtual Refresher Course! |
| Stay current and confident with the 2026 ASTRO Virtual Annual Refresher Course . Designed for all career stages, this live, interactive program delivers a comprehensive review of the core disease sites alongside emerging technologies shaping daily practice. Learn from experts, sharpen skills through hands-on eContouring sessions, and earn up to 19.5 continuing education credits — without leaving your clinic. With live engagement plus onDemand access, the Refresher fits all schedules and reinforces evidence-based decision making. Invest three focused days to elevate patient care. Register now ! |
| Extend your learning beyond the live meetings with two highly focused ASTRO onDemand offerings |
| The Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium (MHNCS) onDemand captures expert-led sessions exploring collaborative, evidence-based care for complex head and neck cases, available for extended viewing in the ASTRO Academy. The Multidisciplinary Radiopharmaceutical Therapy (MRPT) Symposium onDemand delivers in-depth education on emerging radiopharmaceutical therapies, clinical data and program development. Together, these onDemand experiences provide options to earn CME and stay current — on your own schedule! |
| Available in the Academy: Last week’s Head and Neck webinar |
| If you missed the Head and Neck webinar last week, it’s now available onDemand: |
| Be a leading voice for radiation medicine, join us for Advocacy Day |
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| Join us in Washington, DC, to meet directly with Senators, Representatives and their staff on the policies shaping radiation oncology. During this two-day commitment, you’ll gain insights from policy experts, sharpen your skills with Hill training, and then put them into action during Capitol Hill meetings the following day. Register now! (Please note that all applications must go through an approval process before an applicant will be confirmed as an Advocacy Day registrant.) Also, reserve your housing before the discounted hotel group rate ends on March 23.
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| Continued payer engagement on denials |
| Effective 2/25, EviCore’s updated guideline should reduce high denial rates for CPT 77412. Despite the updated guideline, eviCore still will not approve 77412 for multiple isocenter osteoarthritis cases, prostate, partial breast or breast boost treatments. We encourage members to conduct peer to peers and appeals in these cases where denied. ASTRO will continue to engage with eviCore for additional medical policy updates. Members should submit feedback to ASTRO if initial denials or the need for peer-to-peer calls does not decrease, and continue to report inappropriate denials or other payer issues to Emilio Beatley or Alex Costa. |
| ASTRO sends letter to five MACs regarding SRT for NMSC |
| ASTRO sent a letter to five Medicare Administrative Contractors (NGS, WPS, Noridian, CGS, and Palmetto) raising concerns about draft language in a Local Coverage Article that would exclude hospitals from administering Superficial Radiation Therapy for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer (NMSC), potentially limiting Medicare beneficiary access to care. Read What’s Happening in Washington for more information. |
| Upcoming Grant Deadline, March 18: ASTRO-AAPM Physics Residents/ Postdoctoral Fellows Seed Grant |
| The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) partners with ASTRO to support the research of medical physics residents and postdoctoral fellows and advance their careers. Applications are due March 18. To apply and view the detailed eligibility criteria, visit the AAPM website . |
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| Member Spotlight – Find out why President Vapiwala has termed Freddy Escorcia, MD, PhD, a “Ben Franklin” |
| The new ASTRO President's Member Spotlight features an interview with Freddie Escorcia, MD, PhD, a long time ASTRO member. ASTRO President Neha Vapiwala, MD, FASTRO, talks with Dr. Escorcia about his career path, his ongoing work in the radiopharmaceutical space and how RPT use is expanding the field radiation. Visit the ASTRO President's Corner to watch the full interview. |
| Nominate your favorite mentor for the 2026 ASTRO Mentorship Awards! |
| The ASTRO Mentorship Awards recognize outstanding mentors in radiation oncology who have made a lasting impact on the next generation of clinicians, educators and researchers, and they are celebrated at the ASTRO Annual Meeting. Nominations are open until March 9. View more details along with how to submit. Nominate the mentors who’ve shaped your career today! |
| Reflect on our field’s unfolding via the voice of Laurie Gaspar |
| For more than 20 years, the ASTRO History Committee has been capturing stories from the leaders who shaped the field of radiation oncology. This week, we're spotlighting a recent interview with Laurie Gaspar, MD, MBA, FASTRO, who reflects on her “serendipitous career path” and how being adaptable and open to change helped her to navigate — and ultimately thrive in — a field where opportunities for women were once limited. |
| Heads up! Patient Safety Awareness Week is next week |
| Patient safety is foundational to radiation oncology, and Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8-14) is an ideal time to highlight that commitment. ASTRO encourages clinicians and practices to use the week to showcase and celebrate the everyday work that keeps patients safe. Join the national conversation by sharing your activities on social media: post a photo of yourself or your team featuring ASTRO’s PSAW handout, highlight a safety project, and tag your posts with #PSAW26 and #ROSafety. Each post helps demonstrate the collective dedication of our community and amplifies the message that radiation oncology is powered by countless safety champions. |
