Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Radiology just got a message from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): More pain is coming your way. The agency that administers the Medicare program has released new physician payment rates for 2013 that call for a 4% cut in payments for radiology services.
The proposed reductions pour salt in an already festering wound. Radiology has been subjected to round after round of reimbursement cuts in recent years, starting with the infamous Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The cuts have worked as intended by reversing the growth in Medicare procedure volume for medical imaging; growth in imaging even appears to be leveling off at private health networks.
But CMS apparently doesn't intend to let up, with the 2013 cuts being made so the agency can direct more money to general practitioners and family physicians, currently the darlings of the healthcare policy crowd. Even more bad news is in store for radiation oncology providers, with CMS proposing 15% payment cuts.
Will the new rates further delay the radiology industry's sluggish recovery? We don't have a crystal ball, but we don't think they will make it any easier. Read more by clicking here.
How rad admins saw it coming
One group of radiology professionals apparently does have a crystal ball: radiology administrators, who expressed their pessimism in the latest round of the Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI).
The MICI poll surveys a group of radiology administrators over time on their views regarding important topics in the quarter to come. Of the five topics, receiving adequate reimbursement from Medicare scored the lowest, below questions on internal operating costs, staffing needs, and other issues.
Developed through a collaboration between market research group the MarkeTech Group and AHRA, the MICI survey offers a sneak peak at changes in issues affecting radiology in the coming months. Check out the most recent iteration of the survey by clicking here.
