Entries by actualizedevs

Guest Blog: Example of a Case Impacted by the Help-Hurt Tool

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Ms. M is an 81-year-old woman with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer. She had remained in great health until her recent diagnosis, after which her energy had plummeted and she was spending over half the day in bed. Overwhelmed with the sight of their loved one losing her strength with each passing day, her family had […]

Guest Blog: Improving How Doctors and Patients Have Difficult Conversations

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Having cancer is terrifying. Period. Often, well-intended doctors find themselves unable to mitigate this panic. As humans we are challenged with this disease as old as our chromosomes, struck at the core of our identity, of our body, of our sense of self. We are removed from work, from a normal agenda, from our families, […]

NCCS Comments on Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Proposed Rule

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NCCS submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed rule on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Our comments focus on the role of consumers in identification, development, and endorsement of quality measures. As health care delivery and payment transition from a volume-based system, it […]

NCCS Joins Letter to Reagan-Udall Foundation Regarding the Expanded Access Navigator Program

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NCCS joined with patient advocacy organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in submitting comments to the Reagan-Udall Foundation regarding the Draft Project Proposal for the Expanded Access Navigator for Individual Patient Access. In our letter, we commend the revisions to guidance documents, FDA educational materials, and the FDA website related to expanded access and […]

News You Didn’t Hear From ASCO’s Annual Meeting

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We are nearing the end of the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago and looking forward to Vice President Joe Biden’s address on the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative this afternoon. The ASCO Annual Meeting provides updates on treatment advances and is followed by patients, physicians, biotech companies, and investors. Immuno-oncology is once again the hot […]

CPAT Webinar Available Online: “A Conversation Around Shared Decision-Making and A Patient Revolution—and The Role of the PACT Act”

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“Let me introduce you to Maria Lisa.  Maria Lisa is a patient from Peru, like I am, and she lives in Alaska.  I would like to spend a few seconds here looking closely at her face and her situation.  …Maria Lisa looks overwhelmed and tired.  This is in part because Maria Lisa lives with multiple […]

Join the NCCS Cancer Policy & Advocacy Team: Empowering Those Touched by Cancer to Change Cancer Care

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If you have ever wanted to use your cancer journey—either as a survivor or as a caregiver—to make a difference, you are invited to join the NCCS Cancer Policy & Advocacy Team (CPAT)!  Driven by the energy and experiences of the CPAT Steering Committee, CPAT provides cancer survivors and caregivers with tools and training that […]

A Voice for Cancer Survivors in the PDUFA Stakeholder Meetings

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In 1992, Congress passed the first Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), a law that allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect fees from drug companies that apply to the FDA for approval to market their drugs for specific medical conditions, e.g., a chemotherapy drug for ALK-positive lung cancer. All drugs that treat […]

NCCS Joins Patient Advocates in Proposing Alternative Approach to CMS’ Part B Drug Payment Demonstration

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NCCS joined with patient advocacy organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in submitting comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposed Part B drug payment demonstration project. Over many years, the CLC has advocated reforms in Medicare reimbursement for cancer care, to support the delivery of evidence-based care that […]