2017 Community Oncology Conference, "Fueling the Cancer Moonshot" Brings Together Pioneering Cancer Care Teams

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) kicks off the 2017 Community Oncology Conference, the theme of which this year is "Fueling the Cancer Moonshot: Innovation in Community Oncology." The meeting, being held in National Harbor, MD from April 27 – 28, 2017, is expected to draw record-breaking attendance of more than 1,300 oncologists, administrators, nurses, pharmacists, industry leaders, and patient advocates.

The 2017 Community Oncology Conference sessions will focus on furthering the lead community oncology practices have taken in delivering cutting-edge treatments, driving clinical trials and recruitment, and crafting innovative payment and delivery system reforms. For nearly a decade, community oncologists have been working with Medicare and private insurers to advance payment reform in cancer care, including the patient-centered Oncology Medical Home (OMH) model, the Oncology Care Model (OCM), and numerous private payer initiatives.

"As front-line providers of cancer care, community oncology practices and the professionals that work in them, understand better than anyone the challenges our nation's cancer care system faces," said Jeff Vacirca, MD, FACP, oncologist, CEO of NY Cancer Specialists in Long Island, NY, and president of COA. "The Community Oncology Conference is an opportunity for everyone on the cancer care team - physicians, nurses, administrators, pharmacists, and others – with real-world medical experience in cancer care to come together to exchange the ideas that will help advance viable, patient-centric solutions."

The 2017 Community Oncology Conference keynote speaker this year is Scott Hamilton, Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater, cancer survivor and television personality. Scott will talk about his cancer journey and ongoing mission to improve cancer patient survivorship, research, and care. Additional highlights on the agenda include a panel on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) featuring Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), a session for patient advocates led by retired Representative Ed Whitfield on how they can better work with Congress, and numerous sessions on what COA is referring to as "OCM 2.0", a universal, advanced oncology payment model.

"The packed agenda at the 2017 Community Oncology Conference covers the timeliest topics in today's cancer care landscape, including how to survive MACRA, lessons learned from practices in the OCM, the tremendous growth of the 340B Program, issues and considerations in offering immuno-oncology to patients, and much more," said David Eagle, MD, physician at Lake Norman Oncology in Mooresville, North Carolina and Conference co-chair.

The 2017 Community Oncology Conference offers three distinct agenda tracks with content covering clinical, business, and patient advocacy topics. This year, the Conference also features an abbreviated pharmacy track which will cover a wide variety of in-office pharmacy roadblocks and legal issues, including specialty pharmacy accreditation, PBMs, oral medication management, and more.

Sessions at the 2017 Community Oncology Conference have been accredited as continuing education for physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Pre-conference activities will include patient and advocate meetings on Capitol Hill with bipartisan members of Congress to discuss access to local, affordable cancer care.

Presentations from the 2017 Community Oncology Conference: Fueling the Cancer Moonshot meeting will be posted online at www.COAConference.org. Follow along with the Conference on Twitter and Facebook using hashtag #COA2017.

About the Community Oncology Alliance: The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is a non-profit organization dedicated solely to preserving and protecting access to community cancer care, where the majority of Americans with cancer are treated. COA leads community cancer clinics in navigating an increasingly challenging environment to provide efficiencies, patient advocacy, and proactive solutions to Congress and policy makers. To learn more about COA visit www.CommunityOncology.org.

SOURCE Community Oncology Alliance

Related Links

http://www.communityoncology.org