Contact Your Members of Congress in Support of HR 2939

Please call or write your Member of Congress today in support of HR 2939, the Oncology Care Quality Improvement Act of 2009. Click here to find contact information for your Member of Congress.

HR 2939 was introduced June 19 by Representatives Joe Crowley (D-NY), Mike Rogers (R-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA) and Paul Ryan (R-WI), along with numerous other House leaders. HR 2939 currently has 23 co-sponsors in the House, most of whom serve on the influential Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce Committees.

Current co-sponsors include Reps. Crowley (D-NY), Altmire (D-PA), Berkley (D-NV), Berry (D-AR), Blumenauer (D-OR), Capps (D-CA), Davis (R-KY), Eshoo (D-CA), Gordon (D-TN), Green (D-TX), Griffith (D-AL), Higgins (D-NY), Israel (D-NY), Kennedy (D-RI), Kind (D-WI), Moore (D-KS), Nunes (R-CA), Pascrell (D-NJ), Rogers (R-MI), Ryan (R-WI), Schwartz (D-PA), Sessions (R-TX), Thompson (D-CA) and Patrick Tiberi (R-OH).

HR 2939 is supported by the National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF), the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), UPMC Cancer Centers, the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO), the Intercultural Cancer Council Caucus and US Oncology.

HR 2939 creates a budget positive, voluntary pilot program within Medicare that will provide performance payments to participating oncology groups that improve the quality and efficiency of cancer care by implementing evidence-based guideline adherence, patient education and coordination services, and advance care planning/end-of-life counseling services for their Medicare patients.

This pilot program will evaluate the impact of these three provider-led approaches to improving oncology care quality and outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries, while demonstrating avenues for cost savings within the program. The following approaches aim to provide enhanced care for the cancer patient, while creating greater efficiency within the Medicare program:

1) Evidence-based guideline adherence -- reducing variation in care through adherence to evidence-based guidelines improves quality and reduces errors; when physicians make clinical decisions with evidence of proven treatment regimens, the result is better patient outcomes and maximized value.

2) Patient education and care coordination services -- patients who receive dedicated educational sessions about the likely effects of their cancers and treatments and how to manage those prior to initiation of treatment, preferably from an oncology nurse, and have continuous support throughout their course of care, can avoid and/or address common problems, reducing emergency room visits and unnecessary hospitalizations.

3) Advance care planning/end-of-life counseling services -- providing patients with poor prognoses with end-of-life planning and counseling services with their physicians and nurses in order to empower such patients and their families with the best information available about their options to assist such patients and families in making difficult choices between pursuing potentially ineffective aggressive medical treatments or pursuing hospice care or other palliative care to improve quality of life in their final months.

The OCQI will provide performance payments that amount to one-half of the program savings generated by the participating oncology group implementing each of the above strategies. CMS will create per capita expenditure targets for participating oncology groups and those who meet the performance goals and achieve program savings against the targets will receive performance payments equaling half of the group's program savings. The other half of program savings will be retained by the Medicare program.

Your assistance is vital to the success of this effort. Please call and/or write your Representatives today to request that they co-sponsor HR 2939.

Click here to read the text of HR 2939.

Click here to read Mr. Crowley's press release about HR 2939.

Click here for talking points for your outreach to your Members of Congress about HR 2939.

Click here to find contact information for your Member of Congress.