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JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2001 93(21):1595-1597; doi:10.1093/jnci/93.21.1595
© 2001 by Oxford University Press
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Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 93, No. 21, 1595-1597, November 7, 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press

NEWS

Reimbursing Cancer Care: Medicare Policies Challenged

Linda R. Benson

The delivery and administration of chemotherapy is the centerpiece of an oncologist’s work; about 80% of cancer patients receive their chemotherapy treatments in the doctor’s office or other free-standing facility.

"More than half of an oncologist’s income comes from selling chemotherapy," noted Peter Eisenberg, M.D., a private practice oncologist in Marin County near San Francisco. However, there is nothing simple about the way oncologists buy and sell these medications and the third-party reimbursement structure for the cancer patients who depend upon them.

At the heart of the matter is the unique status of chemotherapy drugs. Medicare does not pay for most prescription drugs, but it makes an exception for cancer. It covers about 24 drugs, most of them cancer treatment medications. Medicare pays 80% of these . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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