
CMS Changes to Physician Fee Schedule Face Resistance From Radiation Oncologists
With the comment period ending today, the proposed CMS cuts to radiation oncology reimbursement rates might have a substantial impact on community treatment centers.
The comment period for the
Some of the proposed changes by CMS for radiation oncology include:
· The implementation of new treatment delivery codes which were delayed in the CY 2016 PFS Final Rule as well as CMS modifications to those codes
· CMS's proposal to increase the equipment utilization assumption for the linear accelerator from 50% to 70%
· Corresponding increases in other radiation oncology codes due to an increase in the indirect practice cost index.
Immediately following the proposed policy and payment changes, The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued a press release expressing concern over the cuts. “The implementation of these three dramatic policy changes at once represents too much, too fast for community-based clinics to absorb and could have devastating effects, particularly for those centers in rural and underserved areas,” said ASTRO chair Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO, in the release.
In a related blog on
The final rule is expected to be issued by November 1, 2015 and the ruling will be effective January 1, 2016.
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