The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) is calling on Congress to reject proposals to implement prior authorization for outpatient medical imaging scans in the Medicare program to control costs.
AMIC asserts there is no scientific, peer-reviewed research on preauthorization's impact on safety, efficacy, or administrative costs. A recent AMIC literature review found that policy proposals to adopt prior authorization for medical imaging, including radiology benefits managers (RBMs), would not provide meaningful cost savings.
AMIC supports the adoption of physician-developed appropriateness criteria and the use of decision-support tools to ensure that patients receive the correct scan at the appropriate time.
AMIC said it issued the statement in response to a comment letter recommending prior authorization submitted last week by RBM firm MedSolutions to several committees in the U.S. House of Representatives.
