Medicare fee reductions and the overuse of intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate the impact of a large Medicare fee reduction for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on its use in prostate and breast cancer patients.

Data sources/study setting

SEER-Medicare.

Study design

We compared trends in the use of IMRT between patients treated in practices directly affected by fee reductions (for prostate cancer, men treated in urology practices that own IMRT equipment; for breast cancer, women treated in freestanding radiotherapy clinics) and patients treated in other types of practices.

Data collection/extraction methods

We identified breast and prostate cancer patients receiving IMRT using outpatient and physician office claims. We classified urology practices based on whether they billed for IMRT and radiotherapy cli

SUBMITTER: Howard DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313964 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature