Word of mouth is spreading throughout the region that SWON provides substantial savings for community oncology and membership is free!

 

SWON welcomes our new members.

 

Medical Oncology of San Antonio

 

Waco Hematology Oncology

 

South Texas Institute of Cancer

 

Hope Cancer Center

 

Kymera Independent Physicians

 

Acadiana Medical Oncology

 

Oncology Hematology Center of the South, LLC

 

DFW Cancer Care

 

Hope Oncology

 

Sadler Clinic Association

 

Oncology Center of SW

 

South Texas Medical

 

Pontchartrain Hematology Oncology

 

The Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center

 

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas

UT Medicine San Antonio/ UT Health Science Center

Charles L. Conlon, MD

Brazosport Cancer Center

Cancer Center Associates

Denton Oncology Center

The Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma

The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

Plano Cancer Institute

OU Physicians

Lone Star Cancer & Blood Disorders

Medical Oncology, LLC

Ping S. Chu, MD, PhD
 

Reddy Oncology Associates

 

Vista Oncology

 

Naz Medical Center

 

Plaza Cancer Specialists

 

 Center for Oncology Research & Treatment, PA

Southwest Hematology Oncology Associates

Kashif H. Ansari, MD, PA

Ahmad I. Qadri, M.D., P.A.

Lone Star Oncology Consultants, PA

Rohit Kapoor, MD, PA

Hematology Oncology Physicians Experts (HOPE)
Las Colinas Hematology Oncology

H. Alejandro Preti

Southeast Texas Oncology Partners

Hope Oncology

Abilene Hematology Oncology Group, PA

Collom & Carney Clinic

Clinical Oncology and Hematology
Cancer Specialists of South Texas, P.A.

Temple Cancer Clinic, PA

Houston Center of Hope

Dabas Cancer Clinic

East Texas Hematology Oncology

Hematology Oncology Life Center, LLC

Richard A. Artim, MD, P.A.

Victoria Cancer Care Oncology

Blood & Cancer Center of East Texas

Nadya Hashom-Jiwa, DO, P.A.

The Austin Diagnostic Clinic 

SWON negotiated a market superior price book for our membership.  After the pricing was secured, SWON negotiated an administrative fee with Oncology Supply and ION.

 

Many are asking how we are able to obtain better pricing - the answer is simple: SWON negotiates the pricing based on a competitive compliance model and actively marketing our contract and membership.  The SWON Rebate Program also serves as a 'supplemental' discount to assist practices even more.  Translation: SWON decreases the market basket of pricing by lowering the total drug bill with shared administrative fees.

 

 SWON will dedicate a percentage of its administrative fees to member practices commensurate with the total net volume of their purchases. Net volume rebates will be paid to member practices from SWON based on certain qualifications and criteria.

 

SWON members obtain superior pricing; one price match-all price match policy; quarterly rebates on purchases; additional rebates on generic and pharmacy pre-fill products; and additional services at a reduced fee or free. 

 

Oncology Supply and ION are SWON's exclusive vendor for the GPO.  Together with OS and ION, SWON will provide value and support to its members.

 
Most managers get thrown into hiring and interviewing without much guidance, and it shows-in poor performance and poor retention. Today's expert shares the top eight mistakes managers make.
 
Bad hires sap time, training resources, and psychic energy, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging on About.com. Here are her top eight "rookie" mistakes (often made by experienced pros as well).
 
1. Failure to Prescreen Candidates
Prescreening applicants is a must, Heathfield says. A half-hour phone call saves hours of your time and other interviewers' time, not to mention the expense of arranging travel, etc.
 
Your screening call might, for example, reveal that a candidate's salary expectations are way out of your range, or that the candidate's background isn't really a match for your needs. Always prescreen, Heathfield says.
 
2. Failure to Prepare Candidates
Brief your candidates on your company, the details of the position, the background and titles of other interviewers, and anything else that will let other interviewers concentrate their time on the important issues-determining the candidate's skills and fit for your company.
 
3. Failure to Prepare Other Interviewers
Don't let interviewing be a casual process. Plan ahead. Who is responsible for which types of questions? Who will cover what aspect of the candidate's credentials? How will you collect responses? Plan for success in employee selection, says Heathfield.
 
We'll add a rookie mistake of our own here. Many hiring managers are so eager to start recruiting that they don't nail down exactly what they are looking for. You can go through the motions of selection-posting, interviewing, and so on-but when you don't know what you are looking for, almost anyone fits the bill.
 
4. Relying Solely on the Interview to Evaluate a Candidate
The interview is a lot of talk, says Heathfield. By some estimates, it's only slightly better than chance at picking the best candidate. Plus, the candidate, wanting a job offer, is trying to tell you what you want to hear. Heathfield recommends using several methods for evaluating candidates.
 
For example, at one publishing company, the normal pattern was interviews and then, for the best interviewees, a writing and editing assessment.
 
What the company soon learned was that the interview was relatively unimportant-no matter how great the interview, if the candidate couldn't perform on the writing/editing assessment, there was no interest. So the company switched the two procedures-first the assessment, then the interview.
 
5. Do Nothing but Talk in the Interview
Do something more than talk during the interview, Heathfield recommends. Walk the candidate around the facility. Ask how he or she would handle some part of the job. Have them do something. As long as the tasks are related to the job, you will gain valuable information.
 
 
6. Evaluate Personality, Not Skills and Experience
It's nice to hire someone you like, says Heathfield, but it's more important to hire the strongest, smartest, and best candidates. People tend to hire people similar to themselves, but that will kill your organization over time, she says. You need diverse people with diverse personalities.
  
-HR Daily Advisor Newsletter

Q3 volume rebates have been calculated and rebate checks where mailed at the end of November and the first week in December!  Approximately $30,000 was rebated for Q3.  SWON anticipates double the rebate amounts in Q4 2008.  Thank you SWON members for your patience while we calculated and cut the checks for the first qualified rebate quarter. 

 

 

For practices that qualify, SWON will dedicate a percentage of its administrative fees to member practices commensurate with the total net volume of their purchases.  Net volume rebates will be paid to member practices from SWON based on certain qualifications and criteria outlined below.
 
Qualifications
The qualifications to participate in the SWON Rebate Program are:
 
-Must be a SWON member in good standing
-Must have signed SWON Participating Agreement and Participation Form (these will be distributed next week) on file with SWON

-Must utilize the Oncology Supply ZE payment terms and be current with all invoices 
 
Criteria
The SWON Rebate Program will be based on total net purchases from Oncology Supply for each calendar quarter.  SWON members rebate program will start at the first day of the next month from the signed enrollment (i.e. if enrollment date is June 20th then rebate start date is July 1st.).
 
Reporting
SWON volume rebates will be paid based upon purchasing reports provided by Oncology Supply.  Total Net Purchases are the total amount of ALL quarterly purchases at List Price (i.e. ZE payment terms), less any manufacturer off-invoice discounts (not including any manufacturer rebates or prompt pay discounts) minus credits applied to your account ,excluding payments applied to your account for this Program or Manufacturer pass-through credits.
 
Payment
Payments will normally be made within 45 days after the end of a calendar quarter. SWON reserves the right to withhold shared administrative fees if practice is delinquent on payments to the supplier or to change the terms or end this shared administrative fee program at any time.

 

The Product:
EVERY provider in Oncology can benefit from e-prescribing and ALL can participate - it is an easy additional revenue stream for every practice large and small.  According to the CMS call a few weeks ago - a "qualified" product (see below) must be CCHIT 2008 certified - at present there is still no Oncology specific EMR's (if they have one) that has achieved this certification yet. 

 

SWON and OnPoint has researched all solutions thoroughly and we are recommending www.oncologyerx.com.  This product is the Allscripts e-prescribing module carved out as a stand alone, web-based (ASP) application.  It is tried and true (been used in practices for over 10 years) and has been rated the best e-prescribing module for ANY EMR (including Next-Gen and all the rest that are not really in the Oncology space).  It is an excellent product and was hand-picked by a diverse panel of experts. The overall initiative is being sponsored by some major companies including Cisco, Microsoft, etc. who all believe as we do - that e-prescribing is good medicine - check this page out - http://www.nationalerx.com/sponsors.htm to see the list.
 
Behind the scenes:
Smart ID out of Grand Rapids, Mi (also a large Oncology practice) is a sponsor of this initiative. You may already recognize them - they have been in business for about 6 years and they are the current vehicle by which oral drug dispensing systems are installed into Oncology practices - they do all the credentialing, software installation, etc. so the progression to this was natural - they acquired the rights to this free product in Oncology and are hosting this as vehicle for practices. OnPoint Oncology and Smart ID will build additional oncology specific functionality on top of an already excellent platform.
 
The problem:
Oncology is very late, when compared to other specialties, to adopt e-prescribing technology because the oncology space is very difficult for technology companies to tackle.  Oncology EMR companies have not had the functionality to support e-prescribing and no physician has had much incentive to e-prescribe until now.  Even still, only about 15% all oncology practices have EMR's and at present everyone's only true alternative will be to purchase one (average price is $10,000) or use this free one. 

 

THE TECHNICAL STUFF:
Medicare has updated their document explaining the E-prescribing incentive program.  It is titled "Medicare's Practical Guide to the E-prescribing Incentive Program."  It can be found here:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/partnerships/downloads/11399.pdf

Oncologyerx.com meets all the requirements of a qualified system found on page 7 of the guide.
The requirements of a qualified E-prescribing system are:

1. Generate a complete medication list that incorporates data from pharmacies and benefit managers (if available)
2. Select medications, transmit prescriptions electronically* using the applicable standards, and warn the prescriber of possible undesirable or unsafe situations
3. Provide information on lower-cost, therapeutically-appropriate alternatives (for 2009, tiered formulary information, if available, meets this requirement)
4. Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient's drug plan

Another requirement of a qualified system is to be able to send the prescription electronically.  Oncologyerx.com supports this functionality as well.
 
Sign up at http://www.oncologyerx.com today to earn an additional 2% from Medicare!

 

 

Q1 ASP Payment Amounts Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made available the Medicare Part B Drug and Biological Average Sales Price (ASP) Payment Amounts for January 1, 2009 to March 31, 2009 on the CMS website. The files are located in the "Downloads" section of this web page.

Q1 ASP Payment Amounts Available Medicare Part B Drugs Average Sales Price Files -- January 2009
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/01a1_2009aspfiles.asp#TopOfPage

 

Eprescribing Incentive Program
Medicare has updated their document explaining the Eprescribing incentive program.  It is titled "Medicare's Practical Guide to the E-prescribing Incentive Program."  It can be found here: 

 

 
Options:
1.      Check Oncology Supply website daily for new product (note: I will check also and alert you if I see added stock)
2.      Contact your hospital and see if you can obtain product from them.
3.      Oral leucovorin is available
4.      Spectrum Pharmaceuticals has Fusilev (levoleukovorin) available.  Members will receive 25%  off WAC.  For additional information, including full prescribing information please visit http://www.fusilev.com.  Be careful on this option.  The cost is high and is reimbursement questionable.

 

ASCO UPDATE:

As 2008 draws to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to update you on some major legislative and regulatory activities affecting cancer care during the past year. In January, a special issue of Cancer Policy Today will focus on what we can expect to see in 2009.


Update on Medicare Payment Provisions
In July, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Provider Act (MIPPA), which averted the scheduled 10.6 percent cut to Medicare physician payments, was signed into law after the House of Representatives and the Senate both voted to override the President's veto.

If Congress had not enacted MIPPA, physician payments would have been reduced by 15.1 percent in 2009. The legislation maintained the current 0.5 percent increase to physician payments from 2007 for the remainder of 2008, and provided a positive 1.1 percent update for 2009. Congress will need to take action in the next session to keep physician payments from being reduced by 21 percent in 2010. ASCO continues to advocate for Medicare physician payment updates that better recognize the physician work and overhead expenses associated with providing cancer care.

Also in July, thirteen Members of Congress sent a letter to leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate, urging them to include language in legislation excluding prompt pay discounts from the calculation of Average Sales Price (ASP) as soon as possible. ASCO has also continued to advocate for excluding prompt pay discounts from ASP methodology in order to more accurately reflect the price that practices pay for each drug.

ASCO has supported legislation introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Ralph Hall (R-TX), and Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and will continue to update members on efforts to remove prompt pay discounts from the ASP formula.

For more information, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or publicpolicy@asco.org.

Status of Legislation to Coordinate Treatment Care Planning
Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) first introduced the Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act (H.R. 1078) in February 2007. The legislation would improve cancer care quality by encouraging a system that coordinates active treatment and appropriate symptom management, while also ensuring a smooth transition from primary treatment to survivorship care.

Key provisions of the Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act include:

-Establishing a new Medicare service for a written care plan, treatment summary and survivor care plan that is communicated to cancer survivors.
-Authorizing Medicare demonstration projects to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of comprehensive cancer care that incorporates curative and palliative care.
-Authorizing programs to enhance training in comprehensive cancer care and establishing model comprehensive cancer care systems.
-In March, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced the Senate companion bill, S.2790. The bill currently has five co-sponsors. H.R. 1078 currently has 117 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

ASCO expects this legislation to be re-introduced in the 111th Congress. For more information, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or publicpolicy@asco.org.


Genetic Nondiscrimination Bill Signed Into Law
In May, President Bush signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) into law. The GINA legislation provided important federal protections against the misuse of genetic information by employers and health insurers. Specifically, the law:

-Prohibits the use of genetic information to deny employment or insurance coverage.
-Ensures that genetic test results are kept private.
-Prevents an insurer from basing eligibility or premiums on genetic information.
-The health insurance provisions of the law will take effect in May 2009, and the employment protections will take effect in November 2009.

ASCO has supported passage of GINA and is a member of the Coalition for Genetic Fairness, founded in 2000 to address the growing concern surrounding the misuse of genetic information in insurance and employment decisions. For more information, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or publicpolicy@asco.org.

Review of ESA Label Revisions
In August, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered drug manufacturers Amgen and Johnson & Johnson to issue revised labels on two erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs), epoetin alfa and darbepoetin.

The FDA has mandated the following changes to the label:

-ESAs are no longer indicated for patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy if the anticipated treatment outcome is cure. They remain indicated when myelosuppressive chemotherapy is intended for palliation.
-ESAs should not be initiated if the patient's hemoglobin is above 10 g/dL.  Further, the label change specifies that ESA treatment should target the lowest hemoglobin concentration that will avoid transfusion, removes "...or exceeds 12 g/dL" as an upper range for ESA use, and removes language that allowed earlier initiation of ESAs, or treatment to higher hemoglobin targets, if the patient cannot tolerate anemia due to a co-morbid condition.

ASCO developed a tool to provide oncologists with an overview of the FDA label changes, explain the practical implications of these changes, and clarify how these changes relate to other guidance to physicians on the use of ESAs.  For more information, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or practice@asco.org.


Update on Insurance Coverage of Clinical Trials
ASCO continued its advocacy efforts at the federal and state levels to provide insurance coverage for the routine costs associated with clinical trials participation.

These efforts focused on ensuring preservation of the Medicare National Coverage Decision (including for phase I oncology trials), establishing a coverage standard for federal employees, and advocating for federal and state legislation that requires private insurer coverage.   For more information on these efforts, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or researchpolicy@asco.org.


Update on Expanded Access to Unapproved Drugs
In June, the Cancer Leadership Council, of which ASCO is a member, sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, expressing concern over the Agency's delay in issuing a final rule on expanded access programs.

The proposed rule was first published in December 2006, and the public comment period closed in March 2007. ASCO will continue to urge FDA to strengthen expanded access programs to allow people with cancer access to enhanced treatment options while preserving the research system so vital to the delivery of more effective therapies.   For more information, contact ASCO's Cancer Policy & Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or researchpolicy@asco.org.