J Korean Soc Ther Radiol.  1997 Jun;15(2):167-174.

Analysis of the Payment Rates and Classification of Services on Radiation Oncology

• Shin KH
• Shin HS
• Pyo HR
• Lee KC
• Lee YT
• Myoung HB
• Yeom YK

Abstract

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study is to develop new payment rates for services of Radiation Oncology, considering costs of treating patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey of forty hospitals has been conducted in order to analyze the costs of treating patients. Before conducting the survey, we evaluated and reclassified the individual service items currently using as payments units on the fee-for-service reimbursement system. This study embodies the analysis of replies received from the twenty four hospitals. The survey contains informations about the hospitals' costs of 1995 for the reclassified service items on Radiation Oncology. After we adjust the hospital costs by the operating rate of medical equipment, we compare the adjusted costs with the current payment rates of individual services.
RESULTS
The current payment rates were 5.05-6.58 times lower than the adjusted costs in treatment planning services, 2.22 times lower in block making service, 1.57-2.86 times lower in external beam irradiation services, 3.82-5.01 times lower in intracavitary and interstitial irradiation and 1.12- 2.55 times lower in total body irradiation.
CONCLUSION
We could conclude that the current payment system on Radiation Oncology does not only reflect the costs of treating patients appropriately but also classify the service items correctly. For an example, when the appropriate costs and classification are applied to TBI, the payment rates of TBI should be increased five times more than current level.

Keyword

Payment rate; Cost of Radiation Oncology

MeSH Terms

Classification*
Fee-for-Service Plans
Hospital Costs
Humans
Radiation Oncology*
Whole-Body Irradiation