ASTRO applauds new CBO estimate demonstrating that ending self-referral abuse would save Medicare more than $3 billion

Fairfax, Va. April 17, 2014 — The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today released a new assessment of the significant costs associated with physician self-referral abuse, estimating that closing the self-referral law’s loophole would save Medicare approximately $3.4 billion over a 10-year budget window. CBO’s new savings estimate—nearly double its previous estimate—adds additional weight to the existing mountain of evidence that the in-office ancillary services (IOAS) loophole results in potentially inappropriate patient care and substantial costs to the Medicare program. CBO’s savings