ASTRO Chair to testify at Energy & Commerce hearing on Medicare payment reform

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Chair Brian Kavanagh, MD, MPH, FASTRO, will join representatives from leading physician groups Wednesday morning to discuss Medicare payment reform before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

The hearing, "MACRA and Alternative Payment Models: Developing Options for Value-based Care," will focus on moving the U.S. health system from volume-based to value-based care through effective health policy reform, namely the expansion of alternative payment models (APMs) for physician reimbursement.

Dr. Kavanagh's testimony will emphasize the importance of long-term payment stability for the viability of medical specialties, such as radiation oncology. He also will outline how merit-based physician reimbursement is essential to secure patient access to the highest-quality, highest-value care.

For a copy of the testimony or an interview Dr. Kavanagh, contact Liz Gardner, Media Relations Manager, at 703-286-1600/ or [email protected], or Jeff White, Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, at [email protected].

Hearing details: Wednesday, November 8, 2017, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Eastern, 2123 Rayburn HOB and via live webcast

Related ASTRO statement: CMS report on radiation therapy payment model charts path to value-based cancer care

Related infographics: Alternative Payment Models (APMs) and Access to Care, Stable Medicare Payments and Access to Care

Scheduled hearing speakers:

• Brian Kavanagh, MD, Chair, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)
• Frank Opelka, MD, Medical Director, Quality and Health Policy, American College of Surgeons
• Bill Wulf, MD, CEO, Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians, CAPG
• Colin Edgerton, MD, American College of Rheumatology
• Daniel Varga, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Texas Health Resources, Premier, Inc
• Louis Friedman, MD, American College of Physicians

About ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) represents more than 10,000 people who strive to give cancer patients the best possible care and to advance the science of oncology. ASTRO members include radiation oncologists, nurses, cancer biologists, medical physicists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapy. Of the estimated 1.7 million people diagnosed with cancer each year, ASTRO's medical professionals will treat more than one million of them, as close to 60 percent of all cancer patients will receive some form of radiation therapy as part of their treatment program. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org, sign up to receive our news and follow us on our blog, Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE American Society for Radiation Oncology

Related Links

http://www.astro.org