West Virginia Oncology Society

Online Exclusive - Aug. 5, 2009

John Azar, MD, President of the West Virginia Oncology Society (WVOS), discusses the history of this State Affiliate and WVOS’ plans for the future.

	WVOS Vice President James Frame, MD, presents the benefits of becoming an ASCO State Affiliate at a recent WVOS meeting.

AN&F: When was the WVOS formed? How many members does it serve?
Dr. Azar: When the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) jurisdictional regions were changing and reforming, we felt it would best serve the patients of West Virginia and our state oncologists to form our own society to address the unique problems that we face here. With the help of the former Ohio/West Virginia Hematology Oncology Society and the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center of West Virginia University, WVOS was formed in July 2008.

Eighty-five percent of oncologists in West Virginia are currently members of the Society and the membership is continuing to grow.

AN&F: What unique challenges do oncologists face in West Virginia?
Dr. Azar: We have a high incidence of smoking in our state and a death rate from cancer that is fourth in the country. Patient access to cancer clinical trials is critical, but the rural areas of the state make this a challenge and the accrual rate is one of the lowest in the nation. We are currently building our statewide clinical trial network, working with both academic and community oncologists to make cancer clinical trials available and accessible to more patients and communities throughout the state.

Our state has many rural areas and the commutes are usually very long. This creates a challenge for educational opportunities for the cancer care providers. Our goal is to create a cooperative climate among medical professionals through an interchange of ideas, sharing of resources, and providing educational activities, so that the most beneficial cancer care and clinical trials are available to patients, and educational programs are available to providers.

AN&F: Can you describe the work that WVOS has done with payors to assist patients and oncologists in obtaining adequate coverage and reimbursement?
Dr. Azar: We have worked with the Public Employees Insurance Agency in West Virginia to update their policy to cover BRCA genetic testing and OncotypeDX. This coverage is becoming the norm throughout the country and we are currently engaging in dialogue with representatives from West Virginia Medicaid to do the same. We want to make certain that the best and most up-to-date cancer care is available to all residents of our state.

AN&F: What tips or suggestions would you offer to other state societies as they work to establish relationships with payors?
Dr. Azar: A main focus of ours is to increase patient access to the most up-to-date diagnostic cancer testing and treatment, and sometimes reimbursement issues prevent this from happening. One of our first goals as a Society was to identify key representatives from the top payors in the state and form working relationships with them. The field of medical oncology is rapidly changing and we want to keep the payors abreast of the latest diagnostic testing and treatments that are available. We share with them ASCO’s Clinical Practice Guidelines and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines to help them make informed decisions regarding their policy changes.

We invite them to be a part of our meetings throughout the year, and also encourage them to participate in our listserv, so they can stay informed of the Society’s work and goals. We also have representatives for hematology and oncology who participate in the ASCO Carrier Advisory Committee Network.

AN&F: How has WVOS used its website, blog, and listserv to aid its members?
Dr. Azar: We use the website as our main Society news outlet, along with e-mail blasts to our members. Members are asked to visit the website often for information and updates on meetings, drug shortages, advocacy, reimbursement issues, and clinical trial information. We have recently formed a blog and a listserv for sharing best practice ideas, issues, and concerns.

AN&F: What topics were discussed at the WVOS’s first state membership meeting?
Dr. Azar: At our first state membership meeting, we partnered with a company called Physician Education Resource (PER) to provide continuing medical education (CME) activities and credit to our members during the morning educational session. The afternoon was dedicated to updating the membership on what the Society has accomplished during its first year of operation, what our future goals and visions are, and how we can work together to make them happen.

We acknowledged all of the nurses in attendance, since our meeting was held during National Nurses Week, and we also updated the membership on the benefits of becoming an ASCO Affiliate.

We think our first meeting was very successful. [View local news coverage of the meeting.]

AN&F: What projects will WVOS be taking on in the future?
Dr. Azar: Our statewide clinical trial network is already in the works. This is a huge undertaking and we are still in the early stages of development. We are forming a task force in partnership with West Virginia University to set up a roadmap for the network. Another project we are exploring is how to share all of our resources, such as genetic counseling and smoking cessation programs, among caregivers from around the state. And we are considering, with feedback from our members, embarking on one of ASCO’s recommended cancer survivorship programs, either breast, lung, or colon cancer.