ASTRO Study Indicates Proposed CMS Cuts Could Drastically Cut Access to Radiation Therapy Throughout the United States

Proposed cuts in Medicare reimbursement could severely restrict the access cancer patients have to radiation therapy, according to a study by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed payment cuts 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 press release.

Forty percent of the 515 study participants in the ASTRO study stated that they would need to close their practices if the 20 percent CMS cuts for radiation therapy treatment goes into effect next year.

“Forty-seven percent of rural practices say they would close. Sixty percent of community practices with multiple locations will consolidate their practices,” stated the ASTRO release. “Among those community practices able to stay open, 54 percent say they will no longer accept Medicare patients and 68 percent say they will limit the number of Medicare patients they treat.”

Part of the problem stems from radiation therapy being teamed with diagnostic imaging in the funding formula, according to ASTRO.

"Radiation oncology is critical for the effective treatment of our nation's cancer patients. While we need to work together to cut healthcare costs, lumping in radiation therapy with diagnostic imaging doesn't serve our patients. We need to make sure that all cancer patients, including those who live in rural areas and depend on Medicare, have access to all the tools and resources they need to make a full recovery,” said Rep. Lois Capps of California, one of the U.S. Representatives who have asked CMS to reconsider these cuts.

The full study and a bipartisan letter to Congress decrying the proposed cuts may be accessed at www.astro.org/medicarecuts/.