A report released by the US Oncology Network, the Community Oncology Alliance, ION Solutions and the Moran Company found that Medicare patients receiving outpatient cancer therapy incurred costs 25 to 47 percent higher than cancer patients in physician-run clinics.
An analysis of CMS data between 2009 and 2011 showed higher costs per beneficiary were a result of medication choice, with more expensive chemotherapy drugs used in outpatient settings. It also showed that chemotherapy days were between 9 and 12 percent higher in outpatient care settings.
Overall discrepancies in cancer treatment costs may be a result of differences in updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and the Outpatient Prospective Payment system, according to the report.
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