Widespread changes to oncology items proposed by MBS Review Taskforce

The MBS Review Taskforce has released a large number of proposed changes to oncology items in areas such as chemotherapy management, tumour markers and diagnostic imaging. Its reports, released a few days before Christmas, contain recommendations from numerous Taskforce’s clinical committees...

The MBS Review Taskforce has released a large number of proposed changes to oncology items in areas such as chemotherapy...

Medical politics

Specialists’ revenue hit by Medicare Freeze

Specialists’ revenue from a standard private outpatient consultation has fallen by almost $3 since the Medicare Freeze started in 2012, a new analysis shows. But specialists’ overall revenue from consultations has remained about the same because of increased use of...

Specialists’ revenue from a standard private outpatient consultation has fallen by almost $3 since the Medicare Freeze started in 2012,...

Cancer care

Clinicians not convinced on cannabis for chemo-induced nausea and vomiting

Cancer clinicians are faced with high community demand for medicinal cannabis that goes beyond the level of evidence for its use in the prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). According to a Perspectives article in the MJA, the...

Cancer clinicians are faced with high community demand for medicinal cannabis that goes beyond the level of evidence for its...

Lung

More PBS listings for oncology drugs

Crizotinib (Xalkori) is now available through the PBS for lung cancer patients with a c-ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) gene rearrangement. From 1 January the drug is subsidised for patients with Stage IIIB (locally advanced) or Stage IV (metastatic) non-small cell...

Crizotinib (Xalkori) is now available through the PBS for lung cancer patients with a c-ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) gene rearrangement. From...