Latest Updates
Read the latest news that impacts the oncology community.
Optum is changing the way it pays pharmacies
Published On: March 20th, 2025OptumRx is changing the way it pays pharmacies, reimbursing them more for branded drugs and less for generics, the company announced.
UnitedHealth eases rules on renewing some prescription drugs
Published On: March 20th, 2025March 19 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group's (UNH.N), opens new tab pharmacy benefit manager, Optum Rx, said on Wednesday it would ease requirements to get insurance authorization when renewing prescriptions on about 80 drugs, aiming to reduce paperwork for patients and doctors.
Ohio pharmacy closures lead to fears of medicine deserts, especially in rural areas
Published On: March 20th, 2025The number of retail pharmacies in Ohio last year dropped below 2,000, according to a data tool made public last month by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
Reimbursement Freefall Predicted for Radiation Oncology
Published On: March 20th, 2025A worrisome reimbursement cliff looms for radiation oncologists; however, quick action may help avoid a worst-case scenario.
Trump-Era Silence of AMA, Other Doc Groups Vexes Some Physicians
Published On: March 20th, 2025At first, Han Yu Stephanie Liou, MD, thought the broken link was a glitch. She had downloaded information on prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for her patients countless times in the past.
MedPAC Officially Recommends Congress Link Doc Pay To MEI
Published On: March 19th, 2025Lawmakers should tie physician payment updates to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) minus one percentage point, which, if enacted would give doctors a 1.3% pay bump next year, Congress’ Medicare pay advisors said in their annual report released last week -- around the same time lawmakers were advancing a continuing resolution (CR) that failed to address the 2.83% Medicare reimbursement cut that went into effect for physicians in January.
Optum to drop prior authorization requirement for dozens of drugs
Published On: March 19th, 2025Optum Rx — which includes the pharmacy benefit manager of health care conglomerate UnitedHealth Group — is dropping annual reauthorization requirements for 80 drugs, which will eliminate more than 10% of overall pharmacy prior authorizations, the company announced.
Reimbursement Freefall Predicted for Radiation Oncology
Published On: March 19th, 2025“Freestanding radiation oncology practices, which are reimbursed under the [Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS)], could face devastating cuts,” Christopher Jahraus, MD, a radiation oncologist and CEO of Generations Radiotherapy & Oncology in Alabaster, Alabama, told Oncology News Central.
Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Keeps Getting Scuttled, Despite Bipartisan Support
Published On: March 19th, 2025Despite bipartisan support, a last-ditch effort to pass a healthcare package that included pharmacy benefit manager reforms was scuttled last week.
Ohio pharmacy closures lead to fears of medicine deserts, especially in rural areas
Published On: March 19th, 2025The number of retail pharmacies in Ohio last year dropped below 2,000, according to a data tool made public last month by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
