
Medicare Care Choices Program and Cancer Care Planning for Medicare Beneficiaries
An op-ed authored by NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso and published in the Santa Barbara Independent today championed hospice care, the Medicare Care Choices Program, and cancer care planning for Medicare beneficiaries. "Just as the hospice program will give the patient the power to decide the elements of their care, ...

Rep. Lois Capps Speaks on Bill to Improve Cancer Care Planning (Video)
Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) recently spoke about the importance of the Planning Actively for Cancer Treatment (PACT) Act and the need for quality cancer care and care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries. Research has confirmed that coordinated cancer care outlined in a written care plan — care that integrates active treatment ...

NCCS Applauds Test of Care Choices for Cancer Patients
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) applauds the recent decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to initiate the Medicare Care Choices Model, a project to evaluate the impact of permitting Medicare patients to receive ongoing curative care while also receiving hospice care. “NCCS has focused its ...

NCCS CEO’s Article via CURE “Aiming to Improve Quality of Cancer Care”
In a recent article posted online via CURE Magazine, Shelley Fuld Nasso describes experiences that underscore the need for improved communication between patients and providers, as well as the evidence-base that informs NCCS' push for cancer care planning. The Institute of Medicine recently proposed a framework for quality cancer care ...

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 ...

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 ...

Call to Action: Contact Congress and Support the 2013 PACT Act
Earlier this month, the House Ways & Means and Senate Finance Committees unveiled a Medicare reform package that transitions the physician payment system to one that rewards physicians for the quality of care they provide instead of the volume of services they provide. These changes in Medicare, which will be ...

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 ...