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POLICY & ADVOCACY

As community cancer care providers who experience first-hand the challenges of providing quality cancer care, ACCC members are the best positioned to educate decision-makers on how coverage and reimbursement issues affect community oncology.

ACCC provides members with the information and resources needed to effectively advocate on the issues that are important to them. Together, we can positively influence the future of community oncology.

2024 Policy Wrap-Up and ACCC 2025 Policy Priorities

Access, Payment & Reimbursement Reform

ACCC is committed to ensuring that cancer patients have access to the entire continuum of quality cancer care, including access to the most appropriate cancer therapies.

Advocacy Resources

Letters and Statements

ACCC writes and signs on to letters to Congress and the Administration to promote our policy interests. We also write advocacy statements, blog posts, and opinion pieces on a wide range of topics in cancer care.

White Bagging

The Association of Community Cancer Centers and its Chapter Members from the Oncology State Societies at ACCC have developed resources for cancer care professionals to learn about the practice of white bagging, its deleterious effects on patient care, and how to take action against it.

ACCC Principles for Drug, Diagnostics, and Biomarker Reimbursement

ACCC believes that to improve the current treatment options available for patients at the lowest cost without decreasing access to care, the following four principles should be taken into consideration.


Any proposed changes in reimbursement for drugs, diagnostics, and biomarker testing should decrease health inequities and not negatively impact the ability of cancer programs and practices to provide necessary supportive care services for potentially disadvantaged patients.

CY 2023 Medicare Proposed Rules Announced

On-Demand Webinar: The 2023 Medicare PFS and OPPS Proposed Rules: What You Need to Know


Learn about the key proposals in the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rules and how these proposed changes to Medicare payment will impact oncology practices, freestanding cancer centers, and hospital-based cancer programs in 2023. There will be an opportunity for live Q&A.


Speakers:

Teri Bedard, BA, RT(R)(T), CPC
Executive Director, Client & Corporate Resources
Revenue Cycle Coding Strategies, Inc


Matt Devino, MPH
Director, Cancer Care Delivery and Health Policy
Association of Community Cancer Centers


On July 7, CMS issued the (CY) 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, which would significantly expand access to behavioral health services, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), cancer screening, and dental care—particularly in rural and underserved areas.


On July 15, CMS issues the (CY) 2023 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) proposed rule. In addition to proposing payment rates, this year’s rule includes proposals that align with several key goals of the Administration, including advancing health equity in rural areas, promoting competition in the health care system, and promoting safe, effective, and patient-centered care. The proposed rule would further the agency’s commitment to strengthening Medicare and use the lessons learned from the COVID-19 PHE to inform the approach to quality measurement.

CMS Releases CY 2023 Medicare Payment Final Rules

On November 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Final Rules, finalizing the agency's new reimbursement policies taking effect January 1, 2023. ACCC will host a virtual in-depth review of these final rules and their anticipated impact on oncology programs and practices as part of our 2022 Oncology Reimbursement Meetings. Register for the upcoming webinar on December 13 and view the final rules and their corresponding CMS fact sheets below:


PFS Fact Sheet

PFS Final Rule

OPPS Fact Sheet

OPPS Final Rule


CY 2023 Medicare Payment Resource


This member-exclusive resource provides a high-level summary of Medicare coding and reimbursement policies finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its calendar year (CY) 2023 rulemaking cycle. Highlights include Medicare policy changes included in the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) final rules, including updates to the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP).