Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The radiology community could get a lump of coal in its Christmas stocking if legislation passed this week in the U.S. Congress goes through. The American College of Radiology believes the pending legislation would force "drastic" cuts in Medicare reimbursement for out-of-hospital imaging procedures.
The imaging cuts were included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which squeaked by in a Senate vote of 51-50 on December 21. The bill implements cuts to the Medicare, Medicaid, and student loan programs in an effort to reduce the federal budget deficit.
But the bill also includes major cuts to imaging services, some of which were a surprise to radiology advocates, according to an article we're featuring in our Imaging Center Digital Community. In addition to cutting Medicare payments for the imaging of contiguous body parts, the bill would slash payments for nonhospital imaging services -- potentially reducing payments to radiology by billions of dollars a year.
The ACR is fighting the bill, which still must be passed by the House of Representatives, and plans to mobilize radiology professionals in coming days against it. Read all about the society's efforts, as well as details of the legislation, by clicking here. You can also catch up on other topics related to the economics of medical imaging by visiting the Imaging Center Digital Community at centers.auntminnie.com.
