The Obama administration is proposing to pay hospitals and other imaging facilities an additional $10 if they use technetium-99m (Tc-99m) made with non-highly enriched uranium.
The fee would go into effect in 2013 and is designed to promote the conversion of all medical radioisotope production to non-highly enriched uranium sources.
The proposal was detailed this week in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed changes to the hospital outpatient prospective payment system and ambulatory surgical center payment system for next year.
The $10 fee is based on the estimated marginal cost to produce Tc-99m with non-highly enriched uranium. "We expect this change in the supply source for the radioisotope used for modern medical imaging will introduce new costs into the payment system that are not accounted for in the historical claims data," the HHS document stated.
The communiqué also noted that alternative methods for producing Tc-99m without highly enriched uranium are "technologically and economically viable, and conversion to such production has begun and is expected to be completed within a five-year time period."
In March, the U.S. joined leaders from Belgium, France, and the Netherlands to reaffirm their commitment to minimize the use of highly enriched uranium and to ensure a reliable supply of medical isotopes for patients worldwide.
