Some of you may have received a letter from your oncologist notifying you that your oncologist is participating in a program called the Oncology Care Model. It was sent out to Medicare patients who are currently being treated by this provider. This letter informs you that you still have all the Medicare rights and protections including which health care provider you see. However, if you do not want to participate in this program, your opting out will require you to find a new provider. This can be very daunting for a patient that has been getting care and have a relationship established. Therefore, I want to give a brief overview of the Oncology Care Model, (OCM).

This program was developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) which was established by the Social Security Act and added to the Affordable Care Act. Its purpose was to test innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program expenditures and improve quality for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Insurance Program beneficiaries. The practices participating in this program have committed to providing enhanced services to Medicare beneficiaries, which includes care coordination and navigation, and to using national treatment guidelines for care.

Because cancer is such a devastating disease and because a significant proportion of those diagnosed with cancer are over 65 years of age and Medicare beneficiaries, this provided the OCM, CMS, in partnership with oncologists, other providers and commercial health insurance plans, the opportunity to support better quality care, better health, and lower cost for this patient population. It is intended to improve our nation’s health by providing clear measurable goals and a timeline to move Medicare and the US healthcare system toward paying providers on the quality of care rather than the quantity of care that they give their patients.

OCM focuses on Medicare Fee for Services beneficiaries receiving Chemotherapy treatment and includes the spectrum of care provided to a patient during a six-month episode that begins with chemotherapy.

The benefit to the patient would include enhanced services, including

• The core functions of patient navigation to find other patient-focused resources.
• A care plan that that meets your needs
• Patient access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to an appropriate clinician who has real-time access to the practice’s medical records: and
• Treatment with therapies consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines.

There is no additional cost to patients to participate in this program. Medicare will pay for the full amount of the services. There is however a survey that patients would need to participate in to provide feedback to help improve care for all people with Medicare.

To get a good understanding of this program so that you can make the best decision regarding your care, don’t hesitate to share with your treatment team any questions or concerns you may have. Visit online at www.innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/oncology-care or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Diahanna Vallentine

Diahanna Vallentine, BCPA, Financial Empowerment Lead

In 2002 Diahanna and her husband received the news that her husband had MGUS, a precursor to Multiple Myeloma. Upon her husband death in 2013, Diahanna immediately decided to make it her mission to help patients and caregivers empower themselves to speak up and to position themselves as partners in their treatment. Diahanna became a Board-Certified Patient Advocate. She is currently the Financial Myeloma Coach for The Myeloma Crowd Foundation.