August 20: ASCO Launches Electronic Health Record Podcasts, FDA Releases Guidance on Advisory Committee Process
ASCO Launches Electronic Health Record Podcasts
On August 4, ASCO launched a new podcast series on the implementation and use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs).
EHRs are an important vehicle for advancing quality cancer care. ASCO has established a series of initiatives to advise members and hasten the adoption of EHRs in oncology practice. The podcast series will feature members of ASCO’s EHR Workgroup discussing several EHR topics, including:
Using the EHR to promote quality of care and patient safety.
Implementation issues and tips.
Promoting ASCO’s clinical guidelines in EHRs.
Visit ASCO’s EHR Web site to listen to the podcasts. For more information, contact ASCO’s Cancer Policy and Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or practice@asco.org.
Dr. John V. Cox Named New Editor-in-Chief of ASCO’s Journal of Oncology Practice
John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, has been chosen as the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Oncology Practice, ASCO’s practice management journal.
Dr. Cox will assume editorial responsibility for the bi-monthly JOP beginning with its January 2009 issue. Dr. Cox has served on ASCO’s Clinical Practice Committee since 2001 and its Steering Subcommittee since 2005, and was chair of the committee from 2005 to 2006. He also is the chair of ASCO’s Electronic Health Record Workgroup and a member of ASCO’s Cancer Education Committee, where he helped develop educational sessions addressing practice management and information technology at ASCO’s Annual Meeting and disease-specific meetings.
A member of the JOP’s editorial board since its inception in 2005, Dr. Cox has authored a series of articles in the Journal addressing issues faced by oncology practices across the United States, including current and future oncology workforce needs, tools and strategies for providing quality cancer care to patients, and financial and reimbursement issues.
Dr. Cox, who specializes in hematology and medical oncology, is currently on the staffs of the Methodist Hospitals of Dallas and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at North Texas State University, conducted his internal medicine training at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, and completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He also recently obtained an MBA with a focus on the business and operations of healthcare.
Dr. Cox will replace Douglas Blayney, MD, who has served as editor of the JOP since its inception in 2005 and is the current President-Elect of ASCO.
FDA relies on the advice of committees made up of independent, outside experts as it considers regulatory decisions involving complex medical and scientific issues. Last year, FDA convened 48 meetings of advisory committees on topics ranging from safety of diabetes medications to evaluation of new anticancer drugs for children. The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee has oversight of most oncology products.
The four final guidance documents cover the following topics:
Public availability of committee members’ financial interest information and waivers.
Voting procedures at advisory committee meetings.
Preparation and public availability of information given to advisory committee members.
Procedures for determining committee members’ conflict of interest and eligibility to participate in advisory committees.
ASCO submitted comments to the FDA at the end of last year congratulating the agency on its efforts to increase transparency.
In keeping with ASCO’s recommendations, FDA provided greater clarity in its Conflict of Interest guidance. For example, potential committee members will not be excluded based on grants or contracts between their university employer and a sponsor “to conduct research on a product that is not the subject of the particular matter before the advisory committee or a competitor product.” But committee members with more than $50,000 in personal financial interests associated with companies affected by a particular meeting would not be eligible to participate. FDA can grant an exception to allow experts with less than $50,000 in personal financial interests to participate.
The agency also clarified its guidance on voting. The chair of the advisory committee is encouraged to generate a robust discussion about the matter at hand, soliciting comments, insights, and/or concerns from all committee members before holding a vote.
The agency also released a draft guidance document on the mitigating factors when it decides whether to refer an application to an advisory committee. The document states that products that are highly controversial, require special expertise, and have significant public interest generally need to be referred to an advisory committee.
The draft guidance provides examples of scenarios in which one or more of these factors are often met. If none of these factors are present, FDA generally will not refer the application.
The draft guidance also states that when the agency acts to approve an application involving any first-in-kind, first-in-class medical products, it will generally refer these applications to an advisory committee or provide a summary of the reasons it did not.
ASCO is examining the implications of this draft guidance document and plans to submit comments.
For more information, contact ASCO’s Cancer Policy and Clinical Affairs Department at 571-483-1670 or researchpolicy@asco.org.
Your Participation Needed for the Physician Practice Information Survey ASCO, the American Medical Association and more than 70 other organizations are conducting a comprehensive multi-specialty survey of America’s physician practices.
The results will be used to positively influence national decision makers. The section of the study pertaining to your practice expenses is particularly important, and we request that you complete it accurately in its entirety.
CMS has said it will use the results of this study to help determine physician payment. The survey firm, Dmrkynetec, is contacting randomly selected physicians and practice managers to respond to the survey. All responses will remain confidential.
Dmrkynetec mailed a postcard to its entire physician sample on June 11. If you received this postcard, you have been selected to participate in the survey. If you have any questions about this survey, call Dmrkynetec toll-free at 877-816-8940 and ask to speak with an executive interviewers about the 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey.
If you would like to see if you have been selected to participate in this survey, visit the 2008 Physician Practice Information Survey Web site. If you have been selected, the Web site will provide instructions for participating in the survey. ASCO encourages those selected to participate, and your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
News and Notes
ASCO Conducting Learning Needs Assessment of Member Physicians
ASCO is conducting a Needs Assessment of community practice members, focusing on learning styles, barriers to learning, access to technology, and other educational topics. This information will help ASCO more closely tailor products and meetings to members’ individual needs. You may be invited to join a focus group or to simply answer a few questions about your specific educational needs and how ASCO can help.
Join ASCO's Advocacy Network Advocacy is most effective when Members of Congress and government agencies hear from you, their constituents. By participating in ASCO's Advocacy Network, you will have the opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with your legislators while helping ASCO raise awareness on important cancer issues. To join the Advocacy Network, visit ASCO's Grassroots Action Center.
ASCO Extends Resources to Practice Administrators ASCO encourages members whose practice administrators are interested in receiving Cancer Policy Today to forward their administrator's contact information to practice@asco.org.
