Government Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' New Cuts Threaten U.S. Cancer Care

Government Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' New Cuts Threaten U.S.
Cancer Care
Cancer Care System Suffers as Cuts Drop Payments for Next Four Years

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) today
criticized the newest round of cuts in cancer care as a move in the wrong
direction of health care reform. Although not as devastating as expected, the
cuts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will still
decrease reimbursements far beyond what the U.S. cancer care delivery system,
including most patients, can bear.

Though many components of cancer care, such as treatment planning and
follow-up care planning, are not reimbursed at all by Medicare, cuts were
imposed on diagnostic imaging and services for the administration of
life-saving cancer drugs; only cuts for therapeutic radiation were averted.
For example, the CMS cuts for chemotherapy administration will phase in at 5%
in 2010 and increase to almost 20% by 2013. These cuts come despite the fact
that cancer is the number two killer of Americans every year.

"Oncologists have endured substantial Medicare payment reductions since 2004,"
said Patrick Cobb, M.D., president of COA and managing partner of
Hematology-Oncology Center of the Northern Rockies in Billings, Montana.
"Some practices will not survive even lower reimbursements again next year.
This will limit the availability of care and the access to care, ultimately
jeopardizing patient well-being. This most recent round of cuts is the first
step to a slow death for cancer practices and to access problems for our
patients."

Cuts to such essential components of cancer care have occurred steadily over
the last five years. The combined effect has put many cancer practices on the
brink of failure as reimbursements by CMS continue to decline in the face of
rising costs of treating cancer. Pending Congressional action, additional
cuts of 21.5% may also be imposed. While intending to generate funds for
primary care physicians, the cuts will hit oncology particularly hard making
treatment more difficult for cancer patients who have already seen previous
cuts affect their care.

"We are stunned that in the midst of health care reform, no better solution
could be found than to put cancer patients at risk," said Ted Okon, executive
director of COA. "These new cuts will accelerate the dismantling of the
cancer delivery system. Given that the U.S. has the best cancer care system
in the world, we are at a loss to explain the logic of endangering it as
opposed to building on our successes of increasing the survival for Americans
battling cancer."

About Community Oncology Alliance (COA)
COA is a non-profit organization dedicated solely to community oncology. COA
was founded by community oncology to advocate for patients and providers in
the community oncology setting, where 84 percent of Americans with cancer are
treated. In only six years of existence, COA has mobilized community oncology
to become more politically active, and increased awareness on Capitol Hill
about the community cancer care delivery system. Additionally, COA has brought
together community oncology practices from across the country to share
information in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the cancer
care they provide to their patients.

Currently, COA is working with the Congress in providing proactive solutions
designed to protect the viability of the nation's cancer care delivery system
and patients' access to quality, affordable cancer care. The cancer death
rate in the U.S. has declined due to earlier detection, the quality of
treatment, and the accessibility of cancer care. However, according to the
American Cancer Society, men still have an approximately one in two lifetime
risk of developing cancer, with a risk of one in three for women. For more
information, please visit www.communityoncology.org.

SOURCE Community Oncology Alliance

Julie Chase, +1-202-955-4500, or +1-202-997-8677, jchase@chasepr.com, or
Angelyn Lowe, +1-858-273-1805, alowe@chasepr.com, both of Chase
Communications, for Community Oncology Alliance