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Comments from the authors and the editorial
Financial incentives may be a driving force behind the use of APBI
Important changes made in the USA
2008: Financial reimbursement of HDR brachytherapy decreased for each
radiation treatment and the metric of compensation changed from one
based on dwell positions to one focused on the numbers of catheters used
2010: reimbursement to surgeons for placement of breast brachytherapy
devices decreased
Problem:
Now we have published guidelines for use of APBI off study
We have financial reimbursement
There is information in the popular press regarding APBI
Difficult to determine the exact motivation driving the disparate
practices occuring nationally