Ben Jones on Sequestration and Reimbursement

Ben Jones, Senior Director of Government Relations & Public Policy at McKesson Specialty Health & The US Oncology Network, discusses the impact of sequestration on drug and physician reimbursement.

The Community Oncology Alliance has had an ongoing practice and impact study over the last year to gauge the trend of cancer centers closing, consolidating, or affiliating with hospitals. There has been downward pressure as drug reimbursement and physician reimbursement has decreased, Jones says.

Financial issues have only been exacerbated by the implementation of sequestration and its disproportionate application to cancer centers, Jones says, resulting in an accelerated shift in practices closing, consolidating, or affiliating with hospitals. Recently published studies and reports have shown that patients are moving into a more expensive care setting.