
Medicare Payment Reform: A Chance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care
NCCS is following two important policy developments that will impact Medicare payments for physician services. Congress is making early steps to reform Medicare payments for physician services, and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is seeking public input on refinements in Medicare payments to physician specialists. These steps ...

New York Times Opinion Piece Describes Common Disparities in Communication and Comprehension
On February 8, a New York Times opinion piece published online describes a common situation where the disparities in communication and comprehension of clinical information from doctor to patient may have adverse consequences for patients. The author, Theresa Brown is an an oncology nurse, and she points out that not only can ...

NCCS Responds to Recent Data on Childhood Cancer Survivorship Issues
A recent edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) has attracted our attention for the disturbing statistics it revealed about the issues related to the acceleration of aging among adult survivors of childhood cancer. For 27 years, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) has focused on patient-centered policy ...

Wall Street Journal Article Highlights Two of NCCS’ Policy Priorities
The Journey Forward program and H.R. 2477, the Planning Actively for Cancer Treatment (PACT) Act, two of NCCS' top priorities, are highlighted in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The Journey Forward program is a combined effort of NCCS, WellPoint, Inc., the UCLA Cancer Survivorship Center, Oncology Nursing Society ...

Reforming Payments to Physicians Caring for Medicare Beneficiaries
By the first quarter of 2014, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) and its colleagues in the cancer advocacy community may see substantial progress toward a Medicare payment system that rewards quality and focuses on care planning and coordination. These core principles have been advanced by NCCS and its ...

The Hill Online “Physician Payment Reform Matters to Cancer Patients”
Proposed Reforms Could Improve Quality of Care NCCS advocates for recommendations that could benefit cancer patients and the Medicare program As advocates for quality cancer care, we at NCCS have urged changes to the Medicare payment system to improve the care of Medicare beneficiaries with cancer. A bipartisan proposal developed ...

Bipartisan Bill to Improve Cancer Care is Introduced in House by Representatives Capps and Boustany
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) and Congressman Charles Boustany, Jr., M.D., (R-LA) today introduced the Planning Actively for Cancer Treatment (PACT) Act (H.R. 2477), which would significantly improve the quality and coordination of care for Medicare patients with cancer. The bill is the top federal policy priority of ...

Journey Forward™ Program Is Finalist in the Crowds Care 4 Cancer Challenge
We are pleased to announce that Journey Forward's My Care Plan is one of three finalists in the Crowds Care 4 Cancer Challenge supported by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to drive health innovation forward. Journey Forward is a combined effort of the National Coalition ...

NCCS Senior Policy Advisor Responds to Opinionator “A Plan to Fix Cancer Care”
NCCS Senior Policy Advisor Ellen Stovall’s advice for immediate reform of cancer care was published in a letter to the editor of the New York Times on April 1, 2013. Letters from Ms. Stovall and four other writers commented on an opinion piece by Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel and others, ...

Journey Forward recognized for extraordinary contribution with Health Impact Award
Journey Forward has received the Wellsphere's Health Impact Award for its extraordinary contributions to cancer survivors. The award acknowledges that the program has increased progress in areas such as health research, understanding, empathy, inspiration, awareness, accessibility, and networking. Journey Forward is an innovative nationwide program to promote the use of Survivorship ...