“There is nothing more important to me as
a physician than your cancer treatment.
I’ve been in practice for nearly two decades
and have had the privilege of telling many
patients that there is life beyond cancer.
As president of The Center for Cancer
and Blood Disorders, I want to lead by
example, practicing a firm belief
that all patients should receive the finest medical
care available, with the same concern and
compassion as a cherished
member of the family.”
Ray Page, D.O., Ph.D.
President and Medical Oncologist
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
To learn more about cancer care issues or to consult
with a physician about a cancer diagnosis, contact us at
817.596.0637.
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
The AMA House of Delegates (AMA-HOD) convened in
Chicago in mid-June. I had the distinct honor of being one
of the four physicians in the delegation representing the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a society
representing 39,000 cancer specialists worldwide.
The AMA-HOD is comprised of over 500 delegates
reflecting the fabric of U.S. health care from every flavor of
specialty groups and medical associations. The delegates
deliberate and debate hundreds of resolutions that will
hopefully shape the direction of healthcare in a way that will
benefit all Americans.
The topics ranged from such things as improving management of concussion injuries in youth athletes, to defining
vaccination requirements, to curbing high drug costs, to
even healthcare issues of transgender patients in the
military. It was an eye-opening and extremely rewarding
experience for me.
With regard to cancer-related agenda items, our Cancer
Caucus diligently worked together with other groups such as
the Pain & Palliative Care Caucus, the Specialty Medicine
Society and Pathology Society to coordinate our efforts to
benefit our patients.
For instance, ASCO was very vocal against a resolution to
eliminate “incident to” charges by citing the value of physician supervision (this resolution was eventually referred for
further study). ASCO co-sponsored a successful resolution
to modify the Value Based Modifier (VBM) cost attribution in
regard to “all” drugs (Part B and D). This resolution (entitled “Value Based Modifier and Flawed Cost Attribution”)
centered around the concern that as the VBM becomes
front and center in 2017,