Welcome, everyone, to the Ambulatory Office Nursing SIG. Whether you are a longtime member or a new member we hope to offer you a variety of resources. You can access multiple sources of information on our Virtual Community. These resources include the latest updates from ONS national, access to our newsletter, and discussion forums.

The discussion forums offer you opportunities to post messages and get responses from other members from around the United States as well as other countries. You can ask for information regarding documentation and forms that other practices may be using. I have used this resource personally and found it an outstanding way to see how other institutions are doing things. If you haven’t visited our Virtual Community, please do so soon.

Also, if you would like to be a part of our team by helping with the Virtual Community, writing articles for the newsletter, serving on project teams, or if you would like to be on a speakers list for the SIG, please contact me via e-mail. We are also in the process of looking for a coordinator-elect. If you would like to be a part of ONS at a national level, this is a great opportunity to get involved. Let me know your interest. Training is provided. Enjoy your summer!

I encourage and welcome your answers and any comments you are willing to make in this regard. Please e-mail me at jhudson495@aol.com. We will be sharing your comments in the next newsletter, as well as posting another topic of discussion.

The following newsletter has valuable information concerning patient care in the ambulatory setting. We are fortunate to have the permission of OPLINC to forward these on to you.

Note. The following has been reprinted from Oplinc Fax Tracts. Reprinted with permission from Oplinc.

New Immune Globulin Codes
Effective for claims with dates of service on or after July 1, 2007, HCPCS code J1567 (injection, immune globulin, intravenous, non-lyophilized (e.g. liquid), 500 mg) will no longer be payable for Medicare. In its place, the following HCPCS codes will be payable, effective July 1, 2007:

Remember: These changes are specific to Medicare.

Resources
CMS Transmittal 1261 Change Request 5635

Discarded Drugs and Biologicals
CMS Change Request 5520, revises the Medicare Claims Processing Manual , Chapter 17, Sections 40 and 100.2.9 to include language clarifying that Medicare will cover the amount of a single use vial or single use package of a drug or biological that was discarded along with the amount of that single use vial/package that was administered to the Medicare patient up to the amount of the drug or biological as indicated on the vial or package label.

CMS expects that physicians will make good faith efforts to limit wasted drug. CMS will not pay for drug that must be discarded when an appropriate vial size that would eliminate waste is available but not ordered. Reporting discarded drug with modifier -JW, “Drug or Biological Amount Discarded/Not Administered to Any Patient,” may be required by your Medicare contractor. Watch for updates on this in your Medicare carrier’s newsletters/bulletins.

Resources
CMS MLN Matters Number 5520
CMS Transmittal 1248 Change Request 5520

Best Practices Review Newsletter sponsored by Genentech
Archived Issues:

Patient Assistance Resource Guide
January/February 2007 Issue
December/January 2007 Issue
Resource Guide Issue 5

Note. The following has been reprinted from In the News (Volume 6, Issue 23). Reprinted with permission from the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.

BREAST CANCER

Radiation For Breast Cancer: Less Is Best?—Study reports a new method can shave 2 to 3 weeks off of conventional radiation therapy. Read at CBS News

COLORECTAL CANCER

Can a Mediterranean Diet Prevent Colon Cancer?—Michigan researchers will study how food choices affect cancer risk. Read at WebWire.com

Study: Folic Acid Supplements Don't Prevent Polyps—High doses of the nutrient may actually promote growth. Read at Washington Post

SKIN CANCER

American Cancer Society Stresses Sun Safety—Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. Read at TemeculaValleyNews.com

PROSTATE CANCER

Read more cancer prevention and early detection news and information at www.preventcancer.org. For more information about In the News, please contact external_affairs@preventcancer.org at the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.

Gain Practical Skills at the ONS Leadership Development Institute-[em dash]Apply Today!
The ONS Leadership Development Institute (LDI) will prepare you to serve as a leader in both your personal and professional life, regardless of your practice setting or background. At LDI, you'll learn how you can step up and bring about crucial changes that will improve not only cancer care, but also the specialty of oncology nursing. Apply today at http://www.ons.org/documents/LDIApplication2007_08.doc

Get the New ONS PEP 6-Card Set
Now available is the new 6-card set of ONS PEP Cards, with all new topics. With your purchase, you'll also receive FREE, the first four ONS PEP Cards. To sustain the ONS PEP project, a small fee will be charged to cover costs of future cards. Order your package today by visiting http://esource.ons.org/ProductDetails.aspx?sku=KTPU0010.

For a complete list of all awards and application information, please visit www.ons.org/awards.

Excellence in Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Excellence in Cancer Prevention and Early Detection
Excellence in Medical Oncology
Excellence in Surgical Oncology
Excellence in Symptom Management

In addition to the new awards listed above, many of the ONS Excellence Awards recognize SIG-specific areas of oncology nursing, such as Radiation Therapy Nursing and Survivor Advocacy. Check out the awards page of the Web site for many others like these!

Why not apply or nominate from the specialty that you are actively involved in?

Margaretta S. Page, MS, RN, primary author of the ONS Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP) card on sleep-wake disturbances and its corresponding article in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, recounts her firsthand experience using the PEP resources. Click here for the article.

Jenny Shinsky
Pittsburgh, PA
jshinsky@ons.org

Many features in the SIGs Virtual Community are useful to all members. Below is an outline of the information that can be found on your SIG’s page.

News
The News section provides important information, such as minutes from past meetings and newsletters. Educational news and photos also can be found here.

Discussions
The Discussions area is very similar to the ONS List Serve, which can be found at http://listserv.vc.ons.org. Click the Discussions button at the top of your SIG’s page to access the area. You can post a message, thought, or questions and fellow SIG members can read your message and respond.

ONS National Announcements
Check this section every month for updated information from ONS such as continuing nursing education offerings, events, and important information.

Membership Information

• Network with colleagues in an identified subspecialty area around the country.
• Contribute articles for your SIG’s newsletter.
• Participate in discussions with other SIG members.
• Contribute to the future path of the SIG.
• Share your expertise.
• Support and/or mentor a colleague.
• Receive information about the latest advancements in treatments, clinical
• trials, etc.
• Participate in ONS leadership by running for SIG coordinator-elect or join SIG work groups.
• Acquire information with a click of a mouse at http://sig.vc.ons.org, including
• Educational opportunities for your subspecialty
• Education material on practice
• Calls to action
• News impacting or affecting your specific SIG
• Newsletters
• Communiqués
• Meeting minutes.

• Log on to the ONS Web site (www.ons.org).
• Select "Membership" from the tabs above.
• Then, click on "Chapters, SIGs & Virtual Communities."
• Scroll down to "Special Interest Groups (SIG) Virtual Community" and click.
• Now, select "Find a SIG."
• Locate and click on the name of your SIG from the list of all ONS SIGs displayed.
• Once the front page of your SIG's Virtual Community appears on screen, select "New User" from the top left. (This allows you to create log-in credentials.)
• Type the required information into the text fields as prompted.
• Click "Join Group" (at the bottom right of the text fields) when done.
  
  Special Notices


• If you already have log-in credentials generated from the ONS Web site, use this information instead of attempting to generate new information.
• If you created log-in credentials for the ONS Web site and wish to have different log-in information, you will not be able to use the same e-mail address to generate your new credentials. Instead, use an alternate e-mail address.

• Select "Log In," located next to "New User," and enter your information.
• Next, click on the "Discussion" tab on the top right of the title bar.
• Now, select "Featured Discussion" from the left drop-down menu.
• Locate and select "Subscribe to Discussion" inside the "Featured Discussion" section.
• Go to "Subscription Options" and select "Options."
• When you have selected and entered all required criteria, you will receive a confirmation message.
• Click "Finish."
• You are now ready to begin participating in your SIG’s discussion forum.

• First, log in. (This allows others to identify you and enables you to receive notification [via e-mail] each time a response or new topic is posted.)
• Click on "Discussion" from the top title bar.
• Select "Featured Discussion" from the left drop-down menu.
• Click on any posted topic to view contents and post responses.

• From your SIG’s Virtual Community page, locate the "Sign Up Here to Receive Your SIG’s Announcements" section. This appears above the posted announcements section.
• Select the "Click Here" feature, which will take you to a link to subscribe.
• Once the "For Announcement Subscription Only" page appears on screen, select how you wish to receive your announcements.
• As individual e-mails each time a new announcement is posted
• One e-mail per day comprised of all new daily announcements posted
• Opt-out, indicating that you will frequently browse your SIG’s Virtual Community page for new postings
• Enter your e-mail address.
• Click on "Next Page."
• Because you have already joined your SIG’s Virtual Community, you will receive a security prompt with your registered user name already listed. Enter your password at this prompt and click "Finish."
• This will bring up a listing of your SIG’s posted announcements. Click on "My SIG’s Page" to view all postings in their entirety or to conclude the registration process and begin browsing.

Ambulatory/Office Nursing SIG Leadership

To view past newsletters, click here.

ONS Membership/Leadership Team Contact Information

Angela Stengel, MS, CAE, Director of Membership/Leadership
astengel@ons.org
412-859-6244

Diane Scheuring, MBA, CMP, Manager of Member Services
dscheuring@ons.org
412-859-6256

Carol DeMarco, Membership/Leadership Administrative Assistant
cdemarco@ons.org
412-859-6230

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) does not assume responsibility for the opinions expressed and information provided by authors or by Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Acceptance of advertising or corporate support does not indicate or imply endorsement of the company or its products by ONS or the SIG. Web sites listed in the SIG newsletters are provided for information only. Hosts are responsible for their own content and availability.

Oncology Nursing Society
125 Enterprise Dr.
Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1214
866-257-4ONS
412-859-6100
www.ons.org