Information about proposed Medicare cuts
President Signs Bill Halting Medicare Physician Pay Cuts Until May 31
On April 16, President Obama signed into law the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (HR 4851), reversing a 21% payment cut for Medicare
physicians and providing a 0% update for doctors through May 31, 2010. Medicare had been holding claims since April 1 in anticipation of Congressional action to stop the payment cuts.
The bill, approved by the Senate and House on April 15, also includes ASTRO-supported language extending eligibility to hospital outpatient
physicians to qualify for electronic health record incentive payments
under the new program beginning in 2011. Ensuring hospital
outpatient physicians are eligible for incentive payments has been an
ASTRO advocacy priority with the Obama Administration and
with Congress during ASTRO Advocacy Day. Congress will have to
act before May 31 to again stop physician payment cuts. For
more information, email Dave Adler.
CMS limits proposed Medicare cuts to radiation oncology
ASTRO today praised the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for limiting the payment reductions initially proposed for radiation oncology and spreading the remaining cuts over four years.
View the press release
ASTRO urges CMS to stop proposed cuts
ASTRO submitted official comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asking it to stop its proposed changes to the Medicare policies and payment rates for physician services, including radiation oncology, that would cut all radiation therapy services by nearly 20 percent.
View the press release
Equipment utilization study
Actual utilization rates for radiation therapy equipment used in cancer treatment are closer to the current assumed rate of 50 percent, not 90 percent as proposed by CMS in the Medicare physician fee schedule proposed rule for 2010.
View the press release
ASTRO Survey - Proposed 20 to 30 Percent Medicare Cuts in
Radiation Oncology Would Devastate Cancer Care
A new proposal from CMS to cut payments for radiation therapy treatments would cause many cancer centers to close, stop accepting Medicare patients, lay off support staff and reduce services to cancer patients, according to an ASTRO survey.
Medicare cuts will force many cancer centers to close, stop seeing
Medicare patients, lay off staff, according to ASTRO survey
A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to cut payments for radiation therapy treatments would cause many cancer centers to close, stop
accepting Medicare patients, lay off support staff and reduce services to cancer patients, according to a survey
conducted by ASTRO, the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
MedPAC's official comments
In its official comments on Medicare’s proposal, MedPAC said that it “did not contemplate” applying to radiation therapy machines its recommendation to increase the equipment utilization rate.
March 2009 MedPac report
In a July 13 regulation, CMS is proposing to change the equipment utilization rate assumption from the current 50 percent rate to a 90 percent usage rate for equipment priced over $1 million. CMS cited the March 2009 MedPac report to Congress on this issue. However, MedPAC does not discuss radiation oncology at any point in its recommendations on utilization rate assumption changes. ASTRO believes CMS is misapplying this MedPAC recommendation. If implemented, this proposal will reduce payments for radiation oncology treatments used to cure patients of cancer (e.g., brachytherapy, conventional 3-D treatments, intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy).
Senator Bond and Reps. Buyer, Cardoza, Crenshaw, Putnam, Rooney and Souder send letters to Secretary Sebelius
ASTRO would like to thank Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) and Reps. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) and Mark Sou8der (R-Ind.) for sending individual letters to Sec. Sebelius asking her to protect access to radiation therapy treatment by puttiing an end to the cuts.
Senators Lincoln and Burr and 30 colleagues sign letter to Secretary Sebelius
Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) have sent a bipartisan letter to their colleagues in the Senate asking for support in protecting access to life-saving radiation therapy treatments for the nations’ cancer patients by signing on to the letter to Secretary Sebelius.
ASTRO would like to thank the following senators for signing the bipartisan letter urging CMS to reconsider the cuts.
Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii)
Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)
Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
Bob Bennett (R-Utah)
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Jim Bunning (R-Ky.)
Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
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John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.)
Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas)
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)
Tim Johnson (D-S.D.)
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Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)
Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
Jim Risch (R-Idaho)
Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Tom Udall (D-N.M.)
George Voinovich (R-Ohio)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
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Capps, Myrick, Rogers and Griffith ask colleagues for sign on to letter to Secretary Sebelius
Reps. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Parker Griffith, M.D. (D-Ala.) have sent a bipartisan letter to their colleagues in Congress asking for support in protecting access to life-saving radiation therapy treatments for the nations’ cancer patients by signing on to the letter to Secretary Sebelius.
ASTRO would like to thank the following congressional leaders for signing the bipartisan letter urging CMS to reconsider the cuts.
Todd Akin (R-Mo.)
Rodney Alexander (R-La.)
Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.)
Marion Berry (D-Ark.)
Rob Bishop (R-Utah)
Kevin Brady (R-Texas)
Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.)
Lois Capps (D-Calif.)
Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)
Mike Conaway (R-Texas)
Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.)
John Culberson (R-Texas)
Geoff Davis (R-Ky.)
Charles Dent (R-Pa.)
Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.)
Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.)
Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)
Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas)
Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)
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Gene Green (D-Texas)
Sam Graves (R-Mo.)
Parker Griffith (D-Ala.)
Dean Heller (R-Nev.)
Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.)
Michael Honda (D-Calif.)
Tim Johnson (R-Ill.)
Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.)
Ron Kind (D-Wis.)
Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
Ron Klein (D-Fla.)
Frank Kratovil (D-Md.)
James Langevin (D-R.I.)
John Lewis (D-Ga.)
Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.)
Jim Marshall (D-Ga.)
Eric Massa (D-N.Y.)
Jim Matheson (D-Utah)
Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
Sue Myrick (R-N.C.)
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
Devin Nunes (R-Calif.)
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Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.)
Bill Posey (R-Fla.)
George Radanovich (R-Calif.)
Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.)
Dave Reichert (R-Was.)
Mike Rogers (R-Mich.)
Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)
Peter Roskam (R-Ill.)
Steve Scalise (R-La.)
Pete Sessions (R-Texas)
John Shadegg (R-Ariz.)
John Shimkus (R-Ill.)
Mike Simpson (R-Idaho)
Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio)
Dina Titus (D-Nev.)
Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)
Robert Wittman (R-Va.)
Robert Wexler (R-Fla.)
Don Young (R-Alaska)
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Editorial by cancer survivor Joyce Whittet on the need to preserve community cancer care
Joyce was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. Her cancer was caught very early and she only needed six weeks of radiation therapy. Fortunately, there was a cancer center 15 minutes away. If the cuts take place, her center might be forced to close, forcing patients like Joyce to drive two hours each day to a hospital.
News articles about ASTRO's efforts on this topic
See the news articles that have resulted due to ASTRO's efforts to keep community cancer care alive and inform the public about the possible devastating impact of the Medicare cuts.
Physician Advocacy - Keep Community Cancer Care Alive
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to help raise awareness of the potential impact of the Medicare proposed cuts.
Patient Advocacy - Tell Congress to Protect Cancer Patients
Take action, call your member of Congress today!
ASTRO urges Secretary Sebelius to stop Medicare cuts
ASTRO urges Secretary Sebelius to stop Medicare cuts In a letter to Secretary Sebelius, ASTRO raised significant concern about the proposed cuts to radiation oncology contained in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule.
Proposed PPIS implementation impact to radiation oncology
CMS is also proposing to use the recently collected AMA Physician Practice Information Survey (PPIS) data to establish Medicare payments starting January 1, 2010. The PPIS was conducted by the AMA in conjunction with more than 50 medical specialties to collect data on physician practice expenses. Using the survey data will result in significant redistributive effects on Medicare payments. And although the radiation oncology practice expense per hour is proposed to increase from the current radiation oncology rate, a reduction in payment is scheduled.
Federal Register with CMS proposed cuts rule
On July 13, CMS announced proposed changes to the Medicare policies and payment rates for physician services including radiation oncology that may go into effect January 1, 2010. There are proposals within the proposed CMS regulation that will significantly impact radiation oncology reimbursement. Our preliminary analysis shows a close to 20 percent reduction to radiation oncologists' payments.
ASTRO Outreach
