The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is opposing conversion factor cuts to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposed rule for 2025.
According to the proposed rule, the Medicare conversion factor would decrease in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year, dropping by about 2.8% from $33.2875 to $32.3562. This stems from the expiration of a temporary 2.9% increase to the conversion factor at the close of 2024, alongside a 0% baseline update for 2025 as outlined in the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act.
Other imaging societies such as the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently issued statements criticizing these cuts as well.
SNMMI said that the cuts come during a period of continued growth in the cost of medical practice, with CMS projecting a 3.6% rise in the Medicare Economic Index for 2025. The society said it will continue to work with Congress "to fix the Medicare conversion factor through the legislative process." It will also develop a more comprehensive summary, including details on nuclear medicine coding.
![Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) PET distribution volume ratio (DVR) images were projected onto fsaverage surfaces from FreeSurfer and surface smoothed, with PiB (amyloid) slope maps created using ordinary least squares regression (time as only factor) and mixed effects models for 154 participants run at each vertex (P < .01; model: longitudinal Geriatric Depression Scale score estimated by amyloid slope × time + [sex + education + age] × time). This map visualizes the results of the linear mixed-effects models (t score of the main variable, amyloid slope × time) such that regions with a greater t score (red) represent areas in which greater depressive symptoms are associated with greater amyloid accumulation (amyloid slope). Anatomical landmarks are provided: L refers to the left hemisphere, R refers to the right hemisphere, and additional labels indicate the anterior and posterior ends of the brain. Images available for republishing under Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0 DEED, Attribution 4.0 International) and courtesy of JAMA Open Network.](https://img.auntminnie.com/files/base/smg/all/image/2024/08/PET_depression.66cf997f7e441.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
