Radiation Oncologists Question Double-Digit Cuts To Medicare Physician Payments

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet"-  July 16, 2012

In its draft 2013 physician fee schedule issued July 6, CMS proposes an overall 14% decrease in reimbursement rates for radiation oncology therapy services based on new assumptions for intensity modulated radiation therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy procedure times.

Radiation Oncologists Question Double-Digit Cuts To Medicare Physician Payments

Article preview from "The Gray Sheet"-  July 16, 2012

Radiation oncology clinicians and companies are questioning a CMS proposal to make double-digit percentage cuts to physician payments for radiation therapy services based on values derived from publicly available patient education materials.

Under its draft 2013 Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) issued July 6, CMS would cut reimbursement rates for radiation oncology therapy services performed outside hospitals by 14% overall. Payments specifically to freestanding radiation therapy centers would decrease 19%. Of the one million cancer patients receiving radiation therapy in the U.S. each year, approximately one-third get their treatments in freestanding radiation oncology centers rather than hospitals, according to the American Society for Radiology Oncology (ASTRO).

As part of the agency’s ongoing effort to identify potentially misvalued codes and to revise those items accordingly, CMS plans to cut payments for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivery and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to reflect what it considers shorter procedure times.

High-profile media stories on radiation therapy over the past two years have led the Medicare agency “to consider the possibility that potential overuse of IMRT services may be partially attributable to financial incentives resulting from inappropriate payment rates,” CMS said in its proposal.

 

Continued...

To read this article in its entirety, Purchase now as a PDF and receive it immediately via email. Or get it FREE when you subscribe to "The Gray Sheet".

Plus:
To find out about more about more about Elsevier Business Intelligence's medical device publications and databases, multi-user access and/or advertising with Medical Devices Today, please contact Kristy Kennedy at (480) 985-9512