NEJM study exposes overuse of radiation therapy when urologists profit from self-referral

(American Society for Radiation Oncology) A comprehensive review of Medicare claims for more than 45,000 patients from 2005 through 2010 found that nearly all of the 146 percent increase in intensity- modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer among urologists with an ownership interest in the treatment was due to self-referral, according to new research, "Urologists' Use of Intensity- Modulated Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer," released today in The New England Journal of Medicine for its October 24, 2013 issue.

Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - October 23, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news