Outpatient cancer clinics received a 3-month reprieve before Medicare institutes its new prospective payment system, which is expected to result in a big drop in reimbursement for some newer cancer drugs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expected the new rates to become effective on January 1, 2002. The Association of Community Cancer Centers had been pressing for the delay and for a revamping of the formula Medicare used to determine new payments for some cancer drugs.
