WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 7, 2011 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) filed comments this week with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the proposed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) regulation issued under the Affordable Care Act. The comments acknowledge the potential of ACOs to improve the health and quality of care for cancer patients, and encourage the administration to improve the regulation to better benefit families affected by cancer.
ACS CAN’s comments commend the administration for the regulation’s strong emphasis on providing patient-centered, coordinated care for individuals with chronic conditions and urge the inclusion of palliative care services as an integral component of ACOs and other proposed models. Evidence has shown that addressing the harmful effects of pain, symptoms and emotional distress can enhance survival and reduce costs.
The comments also encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to make a handful of revisions to the regulations, such as enhancing patient participation on ACO governing boards; requiring providers to deliver evidence-based cancer care; encouraging all ACO participants to share their claims information with their providers so treating physicians have the best information to deliver appropriate, high quality care; and redefining “at-risk beneficiaries” to ensure that plans are not incentivized to avoid patients with chronic conditions such as cancer.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Alissa Havens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5772 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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