Radiation oncologists will descend on Capitol Hill tomorrow, June 26 to urge Congress to protect policies which preserve cancer patients’ access to high-quality and value-centered care, during the 15th American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Advocacy Day.
"More than one million cancer patients are treated with radiation therapies each year, either to cure their cancer or relieve pain and other difficult symptoms. Radiation oncology provides immense value to the health care system," said Brian Kavanagh, MD, and Chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors, in a prepared statement.
The group plans to emphasize four legislative priorities during various meetings with policymakers.
1. Preserve patient access to quality care through participation in advanced alternative payment models and stabilize Medicare payments.
Following the Medicare and Access CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), ASTRO proposed an alternative payment model for radiation oncology (RO-APM) that incentivizes adherence to clinical guidelines for the five most common cancers treated with radiation therapy (breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and head and neck). This model would allow radiation oncologists to fully participate in the transition to quality incentives.
ASTRO “strongly supports” recent legislation to freeze reimbursement rates for Medicare recipients at 2016 rates through the end of 2019, which would create a stable environment to successfully develop the RO-APM, according to the statement.
2. Continuous and stable funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The group is asking Congress to reject President Donald Trump’s proposed $2.3 billion in cuts to the $37 billion NIH budget for fiscal year 2019. They instead are requesting a $2.2 billion increase, with an additional $410 million bump for NCI.
3. Avoid disruptions in health insurance coverage for cancer patients.
ASTRO cited many studies which show a lack of healthcare coverage leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. The group supports bipartisan solutions to protect these patients from losing or not receiving approval for coverage after a cancer diagnosis.
4. Protect medical access to radioactive material.
Limiting provider access to radioactive isotopes would limit cancer patients’ access to radiation therapy treatments, and ASTRO will support policies which “enhance the safe and effective use of these materials,” the statement read.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.