Panel Issues Assessment, Recommendations for National Cancer Plan

The President’s Cancer Panel issued its first report on progress toward meeting the goals outlined in the National Cancer Plan (https://nationalcancerplan.cancer.gov), which was released last year under the leadership of then–NCI Director Monica Bertagnolli, MD, and its “recommendations for changes that can make a difference right now” (https://prescancerpanel.cancer.gov/pdfs/CancerPanelReport.pdf). For example, the group says Medicare and Medicaid should “cover all telehealth services and encourage all health plan providers to do the same.” Also, to advance cancer research and workforce development, they wrote that “it is imperative that both Congress and private sector organizations—biopharmaceutical companies in particular—intensify their investments in these areas.” The panel is a federal advisory committee charged with monitoring the National Cancer Program and reporting any barriers to its execution, as well as its successes, to the president.