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Oncologists sue HHS over Medicare Part B sequester cuts

Modern Healthcare: Oncologists sued HHS Thursday over the continued 2% cuts to Medicare Part B drug reimbursements packed in the budget sequester, claiming Congress never gave HHS authority to change the reimbursement formula.

In the lawsuit filed in federal district court in Washington, the Community Oncology Alliance argued the sequester accelerated independent cancer treatment centers' closures and consolidations, ultimately driving up the cost of care as patients head to hospitals rather than oncology practices for treatment. The trade group based its case on the claim that Congress never granted the executive branch explicit statutory authority to apply the cuts to Part B drugs.

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