Abstract:

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an important driver of rising costs in oncology care, but the level of evidence supporting its routine use varies across disease sites, including breast, lung, and prostate. While Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have incentives to reduce health care spending, the effect of MA enrollment on utilization of high-cost medical services and quality of care is unclear, especially for cancer patients. We examined differences in IMRT utilization and health care spending between MA and traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare for patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) across these disease sites.