Newswise — ARLINGTON, Va., January 10, 2019 — The Chair of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Board of Directors, Paul Harari, MD, FASTRO, issued the following statement today in support of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma’s announcement that Dr. Anand Shah was appointed to a senior position in the agency:

“ASTRO congratulates radiation oncologist Dr. Anand Shah on being named Senior Medical Advisor for Innovation at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In this role, he will expand his already-extensive work in modernizing American health care, including efforts to improve patient access to high quality care through alternative payment models.

Dr. Shah is a steadfast champion for medical innovation with an impressive record of public service, including his most recent tenure as Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). ASTRO offers our enthusiastic support to Dr. Shah, and we are eager to collaborate with him and the CMS team on initiatives that are critical to cancer patients and physicians, including the proposed alternative payment model for radiation oncology.”

 

ABOUT ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world’s largest radiation oncology society, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. The Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics, Practical Radiation Oncology and Advances in Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers; and created the nonprofit foundation Radiation Oncology Institute. To learn more about ASTRO, visit astro.org or RTanswers.org, sign up to receive our news and follow us on our blog, Facebook and Twitter.