A JAMA Network Open study found participating in Medicare's Oncology Care Model was not associated with decreased prescribing of novel cancer therapies.
Medicare's Oncology Care Model was implemented in 2016 as an alternative payment model that tied performance-based payments to cost and quality goals for oncology practices. Many were concerned the model would potentially disincentivize oncologists from prescribing novel therapies.
The cohort study included 2,839 patients eligible for novel cancer therapies. The study found 50.3 percent of patients participating in OCM received novel therapies compared with 40.1 percent of non-participants.