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Doctors: Reimbursement cuts may affect cancer treatment (Target:Radiation Treatments)
BayNews9 ^ | 08/30/2009
Posted on August 30, 2009 7:17:59 PM PDT by devane617
The U.S. Department of Health is proposing a major reduction in reimbursement for cancer treatments.
Recently the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced they’re planning on cutting reimbursement rates for radiation cancer treatment — in some cases by 44 percent.
“The radiation oncology community was shocked,” said Dr. Robert Miller with Wellspring Oncology Cancer Center. “At the time our cost have gone up higher and higher, they were going to cut the reimbursement by almost in half.”
Last year Wellspring spent more than $2 million to by a TomoTherapy machine. It targets only cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Doctors fear with a cut in reimbursement rates many people will not be able to afford the best treatment possible.
“We are hoping that, there probably will be some cutback, but we are hoping more realistic — 5 percent, 7 percent — but not a dramatic 44 percent,” Miller said.
Miller says the consequences of such a large cut could be a healthcare nightmare. Doctors may no longer use the most advanced technology to treat cancer patients, or perhaps even more alarming, they may refuse to treat patients with Medicare altogether.
Patients have until Monday to comment on the proposed cuts.
Miller has been encouraging his patients to call and write their lawmakers. Bay News 9 tried to contact St. Petersburg Rep. Bill Young for comment, but he could not be reached.