2006 proposed fee schedule - American Society of Clinical Oncology

2006, we project total Medicare revenues to oncologists
would decline by 5.6 percent. However, if the volume of
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drugs and PFS services increased at historical rates, total
Medicare revenues for hematology/oncology would increase by
8.1 percent between 2005 and 2006.
Specialty
HEMATOLO
GY/
ONCOLOGY
TABLE 35--Impact of Drug and Physician Fee Schedule
Payment Changes
Physician Fee Schedule Drugs All Revenues
% of Total
Medicare
Revenues
from Fee
Schedule
% Change
Medicare
Physician
Fee
Schedule
Revenues
% Change
One-Year
Demonstration
Project
% of Total
Medicare
Revenues
from
Drugs
% Change
Medicare
Drug
Revenues
Combined
% Change
All
Medicare
Revenues
*
Combined
% Change
All
Medicare
Revenues
With
Utilization
Increase*
*
28% -5.2% -15% 69% 0% -5.6% 8.1%
*Note: Reflects changes in total Medicare revenues assuming no changes in utilization. Calculation reflects average
changes in fee schedule payments and for drugs weighted by percent of Medicare revenues.
** Note: We estimate that Medicare payments to oncologists would increase by 8% between 2005 and 2006 if
growth in the volume of drugs and physician fee schedule services were to grow at historical rates, despite the effect
of the end of the one-year demonstration project.
B. Geographic Practice Cost Indices (GPCI)- Payment
Localities
As discussed in section II.B. of the preamble to this
proposed rule, we are proposing two changes to the
California GPCI payment localities. We are proposing to
remove both Santa Cruz County and Sonoma County from the
Rest of California payment locality, and make both of those
counties separate payment localities.
In the November 15, 2004 final rule, we published 2005
and 2006 GPCI and GAF values reflecting the 2 year phase-in