NEWS & EVENTS

ONS president Carl Brown, RN, PhD, AOCN® and CEO Paula Rieger, RN, MSN, CAE, FAAN meet with Senator Roland Burris and Senator Richard Durbin while on Hill visits in Washington, DC.

ONS Director of Health Policy Alec Stone, Carl Brown, and Paula Rieger with US Representative Steve Israel.

Breaking News Alert
New bill delays medicare pay cut until 2014, provides raises in interim.

On September 13, the United States Senate rejected Senator Mike Johanns’ (R-NE) amendment to the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act that would have eliminated the Prevention and Public Health Fund in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read the coalition letter that ONS signed on to.

New ESA Risk Management System
On Tuesday, February 16, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is creating a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) (e.g., Procrit, Epogen, and Aranesp), which are used to treat anemia that can result from chemotherapy. Although the most significant requirements of the ESA REMS apply to healthcare providers who prescribe or dispense, but not those who only administer, ESAs to patients with cancer, there are implications for oncology nursing practice. Many of the details have yet to be released. Read a summary of the current information, and check back for regular updates.

Health Care Reform:  President Obama Addresses Nurses
On Thursday, September 10th, ONS members, attended a White House briefing where President Obama spoke about his plan to reform America’s healthcare system.

ONS Written Comments to the FDA on a possible REMS for Opioids
On June 26, 2009, ONS submitted written comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to the possibility that the FDA will create a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for certain opioid drugs.

May 27th, 2009 ONS Testimony for FDA Public Opioid REMS Meeting
On Wednesday and Thursday, May 27th and 28th, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public meeting to hear feedback from individuals and groups related to the possibility that the FDA will create a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for certain opioid drugs. This is a synopsis of the testimony ONS delivered to the FDA on May 27th, 2009.

Commitment to Quality Health Reform: A Consensus Statement from the Nursing Community
The Oncology Nursing Society joined with others in the nursing community to put forward healthcare reform solutions for improving access, cost, and quality.  The nursing profession is committed to the patient, the family, and the community. The principles and recommendations in this document were crafted to illustrate the fundamental components of healthcare reform that Congress should incorporate to ensure all patients have access to the exceptional, quality care provided by America’s nurses.

Health Policy Update April 2009
Congress has acted on several issues that are important to oncology nurses and patients in the first few months of 2009, including the House of Representatives passing a bill to regulate tobacco and the Senate introducing comprehensive cancer legislation.

Cancer and Nursing in the Stimulus Package
On February 17th, 2009 President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) into law. Included in the stimulus are provisions that are designed to improve health care quality, enhance cancer research, and address workforce shortages.

ONS Helps Secure Expanded Medicare Off-Label Coverage for Anticancer Therapies
Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) took action to expand off-label cancer therapy coverage for Medicare beneficiaries.

The Role of the Oncology Registered Nurse in Outpatient Medical Oncology
The Oncology Nursing Society and US Oncology joined together to develop this publication which seeks to describe the contributions of oncology nurses in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand way so that Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and policymakers at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can gain greater appreciation for all the daily acts oncology nurses in outpatient settings perform on behalf of people with cancer and make appropriate adjustments in practice expense payments.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at government.relations@ons.org