The American College of Radiology (ACR) is urging members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to support legislation that would block diagnostic imaging cuts and to include it within a forthcoming, long-term Medicare proposal.
Dr. John Patti, chairman of ACR's board of chancellors, sent a letter on January 20 to Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) asking them to include HR 3269, the Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act, within legislation that will address sustainable growth rate cuts, continuation of the payroll tax holiday, and extension of unemployment insurance benefits. Patti also sent copies of the letter to Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate.
A conference committee -- a temporary, ad hoc panel composed of House and Senate members formed for the purpose of reconciling differences between the two bodies -- has been called to deal with the legislation. Members of the committee are expected to meet on January 24 to begin deliberations; Camp is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and is expected to be the committee chairman.
"We believe that this dramatic payment reduction was made arbitrarily and without sound methodology and data," Patti wrote in the letter. "This latest [U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)] policy also shows a shockingly ignorant awareness of how advanced diagnostic radiology is practiced."
HR 3269 was introduced by Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), and seeks to block CMS from implementing a 25% multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) to the professional component of diagnostic imaging services.
