Dear Imaging Center Insider,
In a tight economic environment, the U.S. government and insurance payors are trying to find ways to manage what they see as overutilization of medical imaging. One way that carries some appeal is radiology benefits management (RBM) firms, which act as go-betweens for payors and their clients in an effort to cut costs by preauthorizing procedures, facilities, and providers.
But what if an RBM is owned by radiologists? In this month's Imaging Center Insider, read about a lawsuit filed in the state of New York that raises the question of whether RBMs are vulnerable to antitrust violations. Click here for the story. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you can view the article before the rest of our members.
In addition, over the past week a flood of news has issued from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the halls of Congress:
- Read about how the Senate helped to avert physician pay cuts scheduled for next year.
- Find out what CMS has to say about physician groups and independent diagnostic testing facility (IDTF) standards (hint: all groups must now enroll as IDTFs).
Also in the Imaging Center Digital Community, you can investigate how radiology hiring patterns are shifting and discover how to control infection in MRI suites.
As always, if you have a comment or report to share about any aspect of diagnostic imaging practice, management, administration, regulation, or financing, please contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
