Skin cancer is the most common cancer in America; 9,500 Americans are diagnosed with approximately 15,000 skin cancers daily; 6.1 million Americans are treated each year; and 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime
American Academy of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Cancer Statistics; American Cancer Society
Five-year relative survival for melanoma is 99% when localized and 35% after distant spread
National Cancer Institute SEER Program, Melanoma of the Skin
Dermatology absorbs $291 million, approximately 30% of all national Modifier 25 cuts, despite accounting for only 4.1% of physician specialty spending and 0.28% of total Medicare Part B expenditures
American Academy of Dermatology analysis of Medicare Part B claims and the CMS CY2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule
Fifty CPT codes comprise 98% of all procedural services performed by dermatologists for Medicare patients, and 91% of those services relate to skin cancer treatment, prevention, and detection
American Academy of Dermatology analysis of Medicare claims and dermatology procedural services
Early-stage excision can cost less than $1,000, while late-stage melanoma treatment with immunotherapy can exceed $250,000
Alexandrescu, D.T., “Melanoma Costs: A Dynamic Model Comparing Estimated Overall Costs of Various Clinical Stages”
People age 65 and older account for more than 60% of melanoma cases and 71% of non-melanoma skin cancers; 88% of rural counties have no dermatologist; and veterans face an approximately four-times higher melanoma rate than civilians
CDC U.S. Cancer Statistics; AAD Burden of Skin Disease; AAD dermatology workforce analysis; veteran melanoma incidence data cited in the Who Is At Risk campaign brief
Under the proposed rule, 72% of dermatologists would face cuts greater than 15%, while Medicare payment for skin cancer care would fall below Medicaid rates in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and Vermont
American Academy of Dermatology Association, Impact on Key States campaign one-pager, based on the CMS CY2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule
The proposal would cut same-day office-visit reimbursement by 50% and phase out the Indirect Practice Cost Index used to account for overhead costs
CMS CY2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule; RAND assessment of practice-expense methodology
Figures describe the CY2027 proposed rule as published; they may change if CMS revises the rule before finalization.