The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the following statement from ASTRO Board of Directors Chair Laura A. Dawson, MD, FASTRO, in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to delay the start of the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model (RO-APM):

"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today delayed the Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model start date from January 1, 2023, to a date to be determined through future rulemaking. ASTRO remains hopeful that during this process, CMS also makes the adjustments recommended by Congress and the broad coalition of stakeholders within the radiation oncology community as we remain concerned that the model in its current form is too punitive for clinics. We remain committed to value-based care in radiation oncology. We believe that the modifications proposed by ASTRO and the radiation oncology community will ensure successful participation among physicians and facilities and produce significant savings for the Medicare program. We continue to believe that episodic payments for radiation therapy services have great potential to improve quality and equity while reducing cancer care costs, and we will continue to advocate for proposals that achieve these goals.”

Previously:

• ASTRO urges Congress to pass legislation delaying RO Model and protecting Medicare beneficiaries' access to care (12/7/21)
• Senators and representatives unite to call on CMS to protect patient access to high-quality radiation treatments (10/21/21)
• ASTRO submits comments to CMS: Stop the draconian cuts that will harm cancer patient care (9/9/21)
• Additional information and statements are available in our press kit.

ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 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. For information on radiation therapy, visit RTAnswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit our website and follow us on social media.