WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Even though more than 80 percent of cancer patients in the United States are treated in private practice oncology offices and clinics, their access to care is under threat. That is one of the reasons more than 300 community-based medical oncology professionals-including physicians, nurses, and practice managers-are attending the First Annual Community Oncology Conference now underway at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington. Keynote speaker for the conference, which opened on Wednesday, was Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT), chairperson of the Health Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee.
Medicare reform, in particular, is dismantling "the world's finest cancer care delivery system," said Lee Schwartzberg, MD, the conference chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Community Oncology, the official journal sponsoring the meeting. "Private practitioners deliver state-of-the-art care everywhere in the country," he said, citing as an example colleagues in Montana who fly to remote areas to treat patients. "If these and many other patients did not have community oncologists, they would not have access to any care."
Dr. Schwartzberg serves as medical director of The West Clinic in Memphis, which serves a population base of more than one million people in a tri-state area.
Reductions in Medicare reimbursements, rising drug costs, and an increasing number of cancer patients as the population ages have all contributed to a crisis in community care. The conference, which was designed to address these issues, as well the latest clinical data and best practices for providing care to patients living with cancer, will end Friday, February 10. The conference is an accredited educational activity for the attendees, and its faculty is comprised of more than 30 oncology experts.
"The impact of Medicare changes on community oncology is greater than anyone ever expected," said Ted Okon, chief lobbyist for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), an advocacy group for cancer patients and practitioners whose mission is to foster and protect high quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care for all Americans battling the disease. Doctors are having to send many of their patients to hospitals rather than treating them in their offices which are often closer to patients' homes and more comfortable for them, he pointed out. Mr. Okon reported that many physicians "are spending half their time working out their patients' finances," to pay for care. "Doctors can no longer afford to accept Medicare patients," he said. "They are closing satellite facilities and as a result we have heard from people who are traveling more than 200 miles for care."
Educational sessions during the conference will focus on bringing new advances from the laboratory to the clinic, with updates on specific tumors sites, such as the breasts, colon, lungs, prostate, and blood cancers.
The conference is hosted by Elsevier Oncology, Inc., and Reed Medical Education.
About Community Oncology
Community Oncology, a monthly peer-reviewed journal of Elsevier Oncology, publishes articles relating to quality care, community research, and practical management issues. The journal is sent to more than 31,000 oncologists, hematologists, oncology nurses, pharmacists, and practice managers in the United States. Highlights from the Community Oncology Conference will appear in upcoming issues of Community Oncology.
About Elsevier Oncology
Elsevier Oncology, a full-service publishing division of Elsevier, is dedicated to the advancement of cancer care by providing up-to-date information and educational resources to physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and patients in the fight against cancer. It is the publisher of The Journal of Supportive Oncology, Community Oncology, and The Oncology Report. For more information, please contact Anthony Cutrone (631-424-8900) or Joe Schuldner (973-726-5293) or visit www.ElsevierOncology.com.
About Reed Medical Education
A sister company to Elsevier, Reed Medical Education (RME) is dedicated to speeding the translation of the latest research and emerging technologies to practice for clinicians across specialties; beginning with Oncology. As an independent organization affiliated with Elsevier, the world's leading medical publishing company, RME specializes in working with a broad range of thought leaders and organizations to produce accredited leading edge, multi-disciplinary events that feature unique breadth, depth and focus. For more information contact Angi Pechman at 203-840-5537.
Reed Medical EducationCONTACT: Anthony Cutrone, +1-631-424-8900, Ext. 310, oranthony.cutrone@biolc.com
