WINTER 2002
Patient Congress III Brings NPAF Message to Capitol Hill
NPAF Sets Policy Agenda for 2002
Medicare Reimbursement for Oncology Services
Medicare Hospital Outpatient Reimbursement
Medicare Coverage of Self-Administered Drugs
NPAF Announces 2002 State Lobby Days
PATIENT CONGRESS III BRINGS NPAF MESSAGE TO CAPITOL HILL
More than 200 patients, survivors, physicians, nurses and volunteers convened in Washington, D.C. on January 23-25, 2002 for Patient Congress III. During the conference, attendees heard from Members of Congress, officials from the Bush Administration, Congressional staff, met with elected officials on Capitol Hill, received an update on the latest cutting-edge biomedical research initiatives, and enjoyed words of inspiration and entertainment.
Patient Congress III began on Wednesday, January 23 with inspiring addresses from Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT), who stressed the impact of patient advocacy on lawmakers and public policy at the federal, state and local level.
NPAF Sets Policy Agenda for 2002
The NPAF Policy Board has approved the 2002 Federal Legislative Agenda. The ambitious agenda includes policy objectives that are designed to fulfill the mission of NPAF, which is to create avenues of patient access to insurance coverage for evolving therapies, therapeutic agents and devices through legislative and policy reform.
“We believe these policy goals will help to ensure that patients have access to the highest quality of care,” said NPAF Founding Executive Director, Nancy Davenport-Ennis. “Our platform is main-stream and realistic, and we are confident it will attract strong bipartisan support from Members of Congress and the Administration.”
The NPAF federal policy objectives focus on legislative and regulatory issues that will be at the forefront of health policy debate in Washington in 2002.
As always, however, NPAF is poised to make its voice heard on Capitol Hill whenever new issues arise that impact access to quality health care.
NPAF
UPDATE
Medicare Reimbursement
for Oncology Services
BACKGROUND: Last year, the General Accounting Office issued two reports regarding Medicare reimbursement for covered prescription drugs, such as chemotherapy, and reimbursement for physician practice expenses associated with the administration of covered prescription drugs. These reports concluded that Medicare payments for covered drugs are significantly higher than physicians' actual cost of acquiring these therapies. However, the reports did not fully examine the costs associated with providing quality cancer care, including the services of oncology nurses, social workers, case managers and pharmacists.
Furthermore, the reports did not provide cost data on such issues as bad
debt, medical supplies, waste and
spillage, patient communication and education, family counseling, arrangement
for clinical trials, managing chemotherapy and other services associated with
quality cancer care. Nevertheless, some in Congress announced plans to introduce
and pass