Cancer Moonshot Summit Kicked Off in DC
June 29, 2016, marked the first official Cancer Moonshot Summit in Washington, DC. Hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, the summit brought together the nation’s leading oncology experts, researchers, healthcare professionals, survivors, private industry professionals and more. Many from the cancer community convened in DC with the hopes of advancing progress towards a cure.
ONS President Susan Schneider PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, and ONS Chief Executive Officer Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN, along with ONS members Kristin Ferguson, RN, OCN®, Sonia Bellfield, RN, MS, OCN®, Dawn Stefanik, BSN, RN, OCN®, Ruth Doerfler-Evans, RN, BA, CNOR, OCN®, Nancy Corbitt, BSN, RN, OCN®, CRNI, and Kevin Brigle, PhD, ANP, represented oncology nurses at the summit.
Blue Ribbon Panel Works Toward Final Report
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel is moving toward their final report in August 2016. The panel, including ONS member and past president Deborah Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, is working through more than 400 ideas submitted through the NCI’s cancer research idea platform. By August the panel hopes to submit 5–10 ideas that would make significant impact on cancer care.
The Blue Ribbon Panel is working to guide the scientific direction and cancer research goals of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative for the coming years. The panel has selected seven working groups that represent the main priorities of the Cancer Moonshot. These groups will assist the Blue Ribbon Panel in determining the best possible ideas and opportunities moving forward.
ONS Offers Comments on MIPS, APM
On June 27, 2016, ONS provided comments on the proposed rule, Medicare Program: Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models, setting forth proposals for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
The letter highlighted ONS’s support of the new payment systems for physicians under the implementation of MACRA. However, there were points that required clarification, as well as instances where ONS offered recommendations that differed from the proposed plan. The full letter is available online.