Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Encourages Use of NCCN Guidelines in Oncology Demonstration Project for 2006

JENKINTOWN, Pa., November 8, 2005 � The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the Medicare Quality in Cancer Care Demonstration Project for 2006 will seek to improve the quality of care through reimbursement that fosters evidence-based practice. The Demonstration project will reimburse physicians who report whether their treatment of patients adheres to recommendations in nationally recognized practice guidelines published by either the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) or the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The demonstration will focus on thirteen cancer types that account for at least 80% of all patients with cancer in the United States.

�The NCCN applauds the announcement of the 2006 Quality Demonstration Project in Cancer Care by CMS,� said Bill McGivney, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the NCCN. �Leading clinicians in the NCCN member institutions have developed the comprehensive, up-to-date set of NCCN guidelines that recommends appropriate treatment for all major cancer types based on explicit review of evidence and on expert clinical judgment. As indicated by CMS, the application of these guidelines will serve to improve the quality and effectiveness of patient care as well as the efficiency of such care. Focusing the attention of clinicians on the use of guidelines through this reimbursement mechanism will reward more explicit consideration of the continuum of care for patients rather than isolated clinical interventions.�

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ are widely recognized and applied as the standard for clinical policy in oncology in both the community and the academic practice settings. Additionally, both public and private payers use NCCN guidelines as an integral component of their coverage policy development processes.

NCCN guidelines are particularly well suited for the 2006 demonstration project in that comprehensive guidelines are available for all thirteen cancer types named. The Guidelines address the continuum of care for patients. The NCCN guidelines are continually updated and are made available free of charge in a variety of formats. The most-up-to-date guidelines are always available online at www.nccn.org. Finally, many of the professional guidelines are available in a patient friendly format through a collaboration between the NCCN and the American Cancer Society.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Duke Cancer Institute
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Stanford Cancer Institute
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center