Bi-partisan legislation introduced March 13 reasserted the Radiation Oncology Case Rate (ROCR) Value-Based Payment Program, proposing to exempt it from budget neutrality adjustment requirements.
Introduced by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and others, S 1031, the ROCR Act of 2025 proposes key provisions that favor patient-specific episode-based payments, shorter evidence-based treatments, quality and safety standards, practice accreditation, and free or discounted transportation for radiation oncology patients, according to information compiled by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
In addition, the bill seeks to unify technical payments across hospital and freestanding and community practice settings, ASTRO said.
“Current reimbursement policies reward quantity over quality, making it harder for physicians to provide the tailored, high-quality care cancer patients deserve,” stated Tillis with the release. “This bipartisan bill fixes this by shifting to a fair, bundled payment model that removes incentives for longer treatments, supports innovation, and ensures continued access.”
The ROCR is broadly supported by more than 80 organizations, ASTRO added. ROCR builds on lessons learned from the indefinitely delayed Medicare Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Model (RO Model). ASTRO said it urges all members of the 119th Congress to support the bill.