Washington, DC, Sept. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Board of Directors approved six new Position Statements for public release. A unanimous vote at this week’s Board of Directors meeting formally enacted these statements which provide background, history, and detail on COA’s formal position on key issues affecting cancer care. Many of these issues are part of currently proposed legislation or under policy consideration by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the United States Congress, state governments, and others.
Each issue covered by the COA Position Statements directly affects patient access to local, affordable care or the maintenance of the viability of the community cancer care system where more than half of all Americans with cancer receive their care. The newly released Position Statements codify COA’s position on:
- 340B Drug Pricing Program: COA believes that 340B Drug Pricing Program discounts should follow the patient, not be “awarded” to a hospital.
- “Fail-First” Step Therapy: COA strongly opposes the use of “fail-first” step therapy for patients with cancer and other serious diseases because it puts the health of patients in jeopardy by delaying treatment with the physician preferred first and best therapy choice.
- In-Office Dispensing: COA strongly supports and encourages the use of physician in-office dispensing and/or pharmacies for patients with cancer as an integral part of modern, patient-centered, coordinated, safer, high-quality cancer care.
- Oral Parity: COA strongly supports the passage of a federal oral parity law.
- Site Parity: COA strongly believes that payments for the same services should be reimbursed at the same rates regardless of the setting in which they are delivered and is an advocate for site parity and site-neutral payments.
- White & Brown Bagging: COA opposes the processes known as “white bagging” and “brown bagging” because the safety and integrity of the medication is not assured, thereby jeopardizing highly individualized patient treatment protocols and ultimately patient prognosis.
“COA is the only organization dedicated solely to preserving the community cancer care system. Community oncology professionals are the best-suited to assess health policy and issues that affect patient care,” said Dr. Michael Diaz, a board-certified oncologist/hematologist and president of COA. “In this manner, we can proactively craft solutions and minimize any unintended consequences that can come of even the best policies. These Position Statements clearly announce and establish COA’s position in policy discussions.”
“As COA works with policymakers, it is important they understand our position on all relevant issues,” said Dr. Mark Thompson, COA medical director for public policy and chair of the COA Government Affairs Committee. “As these Statements reveal COA’s position, they also examine the factors to be considered and outline our logical progression to our stance. We believe these statements will help in analysis as we work to design patient-centered cancer care policies.”
COA is committed to developing and maintaining updated formal position statements on all key issues that impact patient access to local, affordable cancer care. Earlier this year, COA released a Position Statement on biosimilars and continues work on others for future release.
A complete version of every COA Position Statement is available online at https://www.communityoncology.org/category/positions-comment-letters/.
About the Community Oncology Alliance (COA): The majority of Americans battling cancer receive treatment in the community oncology setting. Keeping patients close to their homes, families, and support networks lessens the impact of this devastating disease. Community oncology practices do this while delivering high-quality, cutting-edge cancer care at a fraction of the cost of the hospital setting. The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) advocates for community oncology and smart public policy that ensures the community cancer care system remains healthy and able to provide all Americans with access to local, quality, affordable cancer care. Learn more at www.CommunityOncology.org.