- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
- Messages
- 415
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- 676
On July 3, 2014, Medicare proposed rates for the 2015 physician fee schedule that would cut radiation oncology by four percent and radiation therapy centers by eight percent. ASTRO is very concerned by these proposed cuts and their potential impact on patient access to cancer care.
The proposal most significantly impacting radiation oncology would remove the radiation treatment vault as a direct practice expense input from radiation treatment procedure codes. Medicare said it already captures the value of the vault as part of the indirect practice expense inputs. This policy change would impact many radiation oncology treatment delivery codes (including CPT codes 77402-77418, 77373) and affect radiation oncology practices differently based on their service mix.
The 2015 proposed Medicare hospital outpatient regulations also released today would package ancillary services and expand a comprehensive ambulatory payment classification (APC) policy, which could significantly impact hospital-based radiation oncology payments by paying for related services in a single payment. ASTRO is reviewing the impact of these and other proposals in the hospital outpatient rule.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also proposed other policies that could impact radiation oncology services. ASTRO is closely reviewing these proposed policy changes and will provide a detailed analysis to membership soon.
The proposal most significantly impacting radiation oncology would remove the radiation treatment vault as a direct practice expense input from radiation treatment procedure codes. Medicare said it already captures the value of the vault as part of the indirect practice expense inputs. This policy change would impact many radiation oncology treatment delivery codes (including CPT codes 77402-77418, 77373) and affect radiation oncology practices differently based on their service mix.
The 2015 proposed Medicare hospital outpatient regulations also released today would package ancillary services and expand a comprehensive ambulatory payment classification (APC) policy, which could significantly impact hospital-based radiation oncology payments by paying for related services in a single payment. ASTRO is reviewing the impact of these and other proposals in the hospital outpatient rule.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also proposed other policies that could impact radiation oncology services. ASTRO is closely reviewing these proposed policy changes and will provide a detailed analysis to membership soon.