OMICRON SURGE UNDERSCORES NEED FOR CONGRESS TO STOP CUTS TO RADIATION THERAPY CENTERS
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) called on Congress to protect radiation therapy centers during the nationwide COVID-19 spike.
ACRO has sounded the alarm that the deep clinical labor policy cuts directed by CMS will lead to the closure of radiation therapy centers across the country and make it harder for cancer patients to get the treatment they need. ACRO is asking Congress to restore funding in the February omnibus appropriations legislation.
The surge in COVID-19 cases across the country that is currently overwhelming hospitals is a grave reminder that office-based providers, such as radiation oncologists, serve an essential asset for the nation’s health care system and the cancer patients they serve.
The CMS-directed reimbursement cuts of 20% will force free-standing radiation therapy centers to close their doors unless Congress acts.
ACRO President, Joanne Dragun, M.D., F.A.C.R.O., stated, “Radiation therapy centers must remain operational in order to provide a relief valve when the healthcare system is overwhelmed. These cuts force high-risk cancer patients to get treatment in a hospital setting. And, right now, many of our hospitals are brimming with COVID-19 cases. Congress needs to act quickly to reverse the 2022 CMS-directed 20% cuts to office-based providers. Failure to act means radiation therapy centers being forced to close and vulnerable patients being left in the cold. The middle of a raging pandemic is not the time to force cuts on local providers.”
###
