IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy): progress in technology and reimbursement

For a new treatment technology to become widely accepted in today's healthcare environment, the technology must not only be effective but also financially viable. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a technology that enables radiation oncologists to precisely target and attack cancerous tumors with higher doses of radiation using strategically positioned beams while minimizing collateral damage to healthy cells, now meets both criteria. With IMRT, radiation oncologists for the first time have obtained the ability to divide the treatment field covered by each beam angle into hundreds of segments as small as 2.5 mm by 5 mm. Using the adjustable leaves of an MLC to shape the beam and by controlling exposure times, physicians can deliver a different dose to each segment and therefore modulate dose intensity across the entire treatment field. Development of optimal IMRT plans using conventional manual treatment planning methods would take days. To be clinically practical, IMRT required the development of "inverse treatment planning" software. With this software, a radiation oncologist can prescribe the ideal radiation dose for a specific tumor as well as maximum dose limits for surrounding healthy tissue. These numbers are entered into the treatment planning program which then calculates the optimal delivery approach that will best fit the oncologist's requirements. The radiation oncologist then reviews and approves the proposed treatment plan before it is initiated. The most recent advance in IMRT technology offers a "dynamic" mode or "sliding window" technique. In this more rapid delivery method, the beam remains on while the leaves of the collimator continually re-shape and move the beam aperture over the planned treatment area. This creates a moving beam that saturates the tumor volume with the desired radiation dose while leaving the surrounding healthy tissue in a protective shadow created by the leaves of the collimator. In the dynamic mode, an IMRT treatment session generally can be initiated and completed within the traditional 15-minute appointment window for radiation oncology clinics. In addition to being comforting for the patient, this rapid treatment delivery mode satisfies a key financial issue for hospitals and clinics by giving them the ability to handle high patient loads and achieve a more rapid return on their investment in an IMRT system. New IMRT reimbursement codes have been issued under the pass-through provisions of Medicare's Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), which authorize special or increased reimbursement levels for promising new developments in healthcare technology that previous reimbursement procedures did not address. These pass-through payments are generally applicable for defined periods during a promising new technology's early stage of adoption. In the case of codes G0174 and G0178, the effective period has been left open-ended. While the CMS adoption of these new IMRT reimbursement codes certainly paves the economic road for the diffusion of this technology by flattening out some of the economic obstacles, there are still bumps to overcome. The most obvious one is the investment in hardware and software that may be required. However, the added demands on staff and the cost of training cannot be ignored. IMRT is a treatment process involving FDA-approved medical devices, offering the hope of improved treatment outcomes with fewer complications for patients and higher reimbursement rates for hospital providers. By the end of the year 2001, there will probably be more than 75 hospitals with IMRT capabilities in place.