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Protect Skin Cancer Patients' Access to Care

Medicare patients deserve every safe, effective, doctor-recommended option for treating the most common skin cancer, including non-surgical, image-guided radiation therapy (IGSRT).



For many seniors, rural patients, and people who are not good candidates for surgery, IGSRT is a critical option. It helps them avoid cutting, scarring, reconstructive surgery, long-distance travel, and delays in care.

Tell CMS: Protect patient choice. Preserve access to IGSRT. TAKE ACTION.

Protect Skin Cancer Patients' Access to Care

Medicare patients deserve every safe, effective, doctor-recommended option for treating the most common skin cancer, including non-surgical, image-guided radiation therapy (IGSRT).


For many seniors, rural patients, and people who are not good candidates for surgery, IGSRT is a critical option. It helps them avoid cutting, scarring, reconstructive surgery, long-distance travel, and delays in care.

Tell CMS: Protect patient choice. Preserve access to IGSRT. TAKE ACTION.

oUR MISSION:

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most common cancer in America, more common than all other cancers combined. More than 5 million Americans live with it today, and roughly 9,500 new cases are diagnosed every day. Most patients are 65 or older and rely on Medicare for their care.

Safe, effective, and affordable treatment options exist. But access to one of the most important non-surgical options is now at risk. Our mission is simple: make sure patients and their doctors, not coverage decisions, choose the best treatment.

Why It Matters: Four Pillars

These four pillars carry the message across the site, social, and any briefs or comms built from it.
  • Protect Patient Choice: IGSRT gives patients a non-surgical way to treat skin cancer, which matters most for seniors, patients with other conditions, and cancers on sensitive areas like the face, head, neck, and hands.
  • Defend Rural Health Care Access: Cutting access to IGSRT would force rural patients to travel farther for treatment they could otherwise receive close to home.
  • Protect Health Care Jobs: IGSRT supports radiation therapists, dermatology and oncology staff, and administrative workers whose jobs depend on continued access.
  • Put Seniors First: Seniors have earned a full range of safe, effective treatment options, and a say in which one is right for them.

The Threat

CMS and its Medicare contractors are considering policy changes that could sharply limit access to IGSRT. If those changes go through, many seniors would be left with fewer choices, and some would be pushed toward more invasive treatment even when a non-surgical option would work just as well.

Urge CMS to preserve access to IGSRT before it's too late. TAKE ACTION.

Polling: Seniors Speak Clearly

Seniors Are Clear: Protect Our Care
Seniors across the country are sending the same message: they strongly oppose efforts to restrict access to proven, non-surgical skin cancer treatments. Polling shows broad agreement on preserving choice in care, with strong majorities standing against the proposed Medicare changes.

The Science Behind the Treatment

Peer-reviewed research supports image-guided superficial radiation therapy (IGSRT) as a safe, effective, and patient-friendly way to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer. Studies show consistently low recurrence rates across all ages, and expert panels endorse IGSRT as a proven alternative to surgery.

Statement from PatientsACT on CMS Proposed Physician Fee Schedule

As advocates for patients, we are deeply concerned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposal to drastically cut access to Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT) for seniors battling nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most common cancer in the United States.

Under this proposal, significant reimbursement cuts would make it financially impossible for physicians to continue providing IGSRT as an option. IGSRT has a cure rate of more than 99% and offers patients, especially seniors, a proven alternative to surgery. Stripping away this option would force countless seniors into more invasive procedures, limiting choice and placing undue burdens on those already navigating a cancer diagnosis.

More than 250,000 Americans have spoken out in opposition to this proposal. Their message is clear: patients deserve access to all medically appropriate treatment options. Removing coverage for IGSRT would have devastating, real-world consequences for seniors nationwide.

On behalf of seniors and families across the country, we urge CMS to protect access to IGSRT by rejecting this harmful proposal and instead crafting sustainable coding and payment policy. Patients must not lose the right to choose the treatment that is best for their health and circumstances.

Statement from PatientsACT on Proposed LCDs Limiting Access to IGSRT

We strongly oppose the proposed Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs), DL40189, DL40193, DL40168, DL40176, and DL40179, which would strip away access to Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT) for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).

NMSC is the most common cancer in the United States, and IGSRT offers a non-invasive treatment option with cure rates exceeding 99%. By removing coverage for Image Guidance, the proposed LCDs would effectively eliminate access to IGSRT altogether, denying seniors a safe and effective alternative
to surgery.

More than 250,000 Americans have already spoken out in support of protecting this therapy. Their voices reflect what we know to be true: patients deserve access to all medically appropriate treatment options. Eliminating coverage for IGSRT would have devastating consequences for seniors and others facing skin cancer diagnoses. As Medicare considers these policies, the stakes could not be higher for seniors across our country. We urge CMS to reject these proposed LCDs and preserve access to IGSRT by providing coverage when IGSRT is reasonable and necessary.