The Medicare Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Act of 2009 () in the United States is a federal program designed to improve the quality of

cancer care Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

for elderly individuals covered by Medicare, with a particular focus on approximately 45% of cancer patients who are beneficiaries of the Medicare program.

History and overview

This legislation for the Medicare Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Act was proposed in the US congress by Congressman

Artur Davis Artur Genestre Davis (; born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and former politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2003 to 2011. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomina ...

(D-AL), with co-sponsorship from Representatives

Steve Israel Steven J. Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller and former politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was electe ...

(D-NY) and

Mary Jo Kilroy Mary Jo Kilroy (born April 30, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party from Ohio. She was defeated in her November 2, 2010 re-election bi ...

(D-OH), aims to enhance the quality of care for seniors while also addressing cost control measures. The Quality Cancer Care Demonstration (QCCD) project was developed by a community of

oncologists Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, with inputs from policy experts, to be a national Medicare demonstration project focused on two key aspects of cancer care:

treatment planning In radiotherapy, radiation treatment planning (RTP) is the process in which a team consisting of radiation oncologists, radiation therapist, medical physicists and medical dosimetrists plan the appropriate external beam radiotherapy or internal ...

and end-of-life care. Treatment planning involves all essential components of establishing the cancer care plan and monitoring its effectiveness. End-of-life care involves all essential components of patient-centric cancer care, relating to individuals facing end-of-life planning and decision-making. By the Medicare payment system, H.R. 2872 calls for national reporting of key metrics of evidence-based care, and also refines those metrics; develops new Medicare performance-based reimbursement system that is patient-centric and quality driven, while aligning better with

cost control Cost accounting is defined as "a systematic set of procedures for recording and reporting measurements of the cost of manufacturing goods and performing services in the aggregate and in detail. It includes methods for recognizing, classifying, al ...

. The bill includes the following elements: * Establish a national Medicare demonstration project implemented by the

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer M ...

(CMS) and is open to all oncology practices. * Address current shortcomings in treatment planning and end-of-life care by improving metrics and aligning incentives relating to the care. * Quality reporting measures by oncologists through the Medicare reimbursement system, concerning their treatment plans and end-of-life care. It would also include refinement and improvement of these plans. * Allocate $300 million per year in Medicare funding to revise the Medicare payment system. Those payments would be based on quality and cost-efficiency. * Incorporate the key elements under discussion in the healthcare reform debate — quality care delivery, evidence-based medicine, care coordination, patient-centric, cost control,

health information technology Health information technology (HIT) is health technology, particularly information technology, applied to health and health care. It supports health information management across computerized systems and the secure exchange of health informatio ...

, and pay-for-performance — in producing an evolved payment system. * Evaluation of QCCD to determine the participation of oncologists and cost-effectiveness of the plan. * Conducting of a demonstration project over a period of not less than two years to allow for improvement in reporting, metrics, and analysis. * A substantive project that can be implemented within 6 months by

CMS CMS may refer to: Computing * Call management system * CMS-2 (programming language), used by the United States Navy * Code Morphing Software, a technology used by Transmeta * Collection management system for a museum collection * Color manag ...

and will be available to all oncologists nationwide. * Could serve as a model for other areas of specific care relating to

terminal illness Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced h ...

for Medicare beneficiaries.

References

{{Reflist Healthcare reform legislation in the United States Medicare and Medicaid (United States)

History and overview

See also

References