Government
Medicare adopts changes in pay for cancer drugs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 1, 2004
Changes in the way the federal government will reimburse oncologists for the administration of cancer drugs starting in January 2005 have been adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology estimates that the CMS revisions, based on recommendations from two American Medical Association working groups, will reduce next year's projected $500 million cut in Medicare cancer care payments by $100 million. Included in the AMA-recommended changes are new codes for multiple chemotherapy/non-chemotherapy infusions and new payment adjustments for the staff time required to prepare and administer the treatments.
Lawmakers who had requested the modifications joined ASCO in characterizing the move as a good start and in expressing disappointment that CMS had not yet released the full list of 2005 payment rates to accompany the new codes.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/01/gvbf1101.htm.
