CANCER CARE ASSOCIATES-MERCY HEALTH CENTER CAMPUS

The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 was a step in the direction of Medicare reform; however, this law passed flawed payment systems for medical services and drugs. Medicare payment for most cancer drugs is less than the physician’s cost. Many essential components of cancer care, like treatment planning and facility costs are not paid for at all. Other services, like chemotherapy administration services have been cut by 25% since 2004. Now legislation due to take effect in 2010 is proposing over a 20% cut to chemotherapy administration services and an overall 21.5% cut to physician service payments. We cannot absorb any more cuts by Medicare and need your help and support to fix the flaws in the Medicare payment system now!

Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells are:

aggressive (grow and divide without respect to normal limits)

invasive (invade and destroy adjacent tissues)

metastatic (spread to other locations in the body)

How is Cancer Treated?

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, they begin a unique journey towards its hopeful irradication. As with most journeys, every diagnosis, and every stage of the disease requires its own roadmap for treatment. There are different therapy options which are sometimes soley used or combined with other modes of treatment.

Radiation Therapy: The use of radiation in various forms to destroy malignant cells and tissue. Radiation can be delivered externally or internally.

External Beam

Conventional Uses a single beam to penetrate cancerous tissue.

IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) Uses multiple beams of varying intensities of radiation to limit the dose to normal tissue while increasing the dose to abnormal cells.

Internal

Brachytherapy The use of a radioactive source which can be implanted (permanently or temporarily) in the tumor area to deliver a higher dose to the malignant cells. There are two intensities of brachytherapy:

HDR - High Dose Rate

LDR - Low Dose Rate