FEATURE
A Day on the Hill: The ASH Committee on
Practice Goes to Washington
O
n May 19, 2015, following its
spring meeting in Washington,
DC, members of the ASH Committee on Practice visited more
than 40 congressional offices to advocate
for legislation to ensure access to safe
and effective hematologic drugs, as well
as to urge the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) to take a closer
look at outpatient evaluation and management codes for physicians who primarily
treat chronically ill patients. For more
about these initiatives, see the SIDEBARS
on pages 36 and 37.
ASH Committee on Practice members
split up into six groups to cover the most
ground. ASH Clinical News tagged along
with Harriet A. Bering, MD, Chancellor
Donald, MD, and Judith Kleinerman, MD,
as they met with Senators, Representatives, and staffers to spread the word about
insurance parity for oral cancer drugs,
evaluation and management (E&M)
codes, and other hematology issues that
affect patients and providers.
On May 18, the day before hitting the
Hill, the Committee members were briefed
about the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity
Act by Leslie Brady, legislative assistant in
the Office of Congressman Brian Higgins
(D-NY-26), a co-sponsor of the bill. Ms.
Brady shared Congress’ plans to reintroduce oral chemotherapy parity legislation
and provided some suggestions on how
ASH can urge support for this legislation
through its advocacy activities.
Leslie Brady, from Rep. Higgin’s office, briefs the Committee on Practice
members on the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act.
PHOTO DIARY
May 19, 8:00 a.m.: The day starts with breakfast and
a strategy meeting at ASH headquarters, including a
review of the schedule and the goals for the day.
9:15 a.m.: The groups depart for Capitol Hill!
Left to right: Drs. Bering, Donald, and Kleinerman
9:30 a.m.: Drs. Bering and Kleinerman meet with
Melea Atkins, a legislative aide from Senator Elizabeth
Warren’s (D-MA) office in the Hart building. Questions are raised about how the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act would affect patients with Medicare or
Medicaid (rather than private insurance).
In asking for help urging CMS to research E&M
codes, Dr. Bering explains that the current codes for
determining payment – which were set up in the 1980s
– are outdated. Dr. Kleinerman adds: “We need more
research because our patients are very complicated,
very sick, and all different.”
Dr. Bering speaks about the need for more research to
re-examine evaluation and management codes.
“No two patients are
the same.”
—DR. KLEINERMAN
ASHClinicalNews.org
ASH Clinical News
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