Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Tuesday's midterm elections in the U.S. delivered a thumping victory for the Republican Party. As political pundits dissect the implications of the vote for the country as a whole, we offer a detailed look at what the results mean for radiology, courtesy of legislative analysts from the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA).
The first order of business will be tackling the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, as the current SGR patch that prevents draconian payment cuts to physician services is set to expire on March 31. A big question is what will happen with the in-office exception to the Stark law, which allows physicians to self-refer patients to imaging exams on equipment they own -- a loophole that's deeply unpopular with radiologists.
And, of course, the Affordable Care Act is certain to be a source of conflict in the next congressional session. Republicans have sworn to overturn or weaken the legislation, but RBMA is skeptical that such efforts will succeed given President Obama's veto power. Read more by clicking here.
MICI Q4 numbers
In other news, the latest numbers for the fourth quarter from the Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI) are in, and they have some interesting implications for radiology.
A leading barometer of radiology administrator sentiment, MICI tracks five elements of radiology operations, from access to capital to optimism regarding Medicare reimbursement. All five elements are also combined into a single composite score.
The fourth-quarter numbers continue a positive trend seen in the last several MICI reporting periods. But that could be due to radiology administrators becoming resigned to the new reality in medical imaging, as opposed to any major shift in sentiment.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Leaders Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
The Road keeps rolling
Our Road to RSNA preview of scientific sessions at the upcoming RSNA 2014 meeting keeps on rolling. Over the past few days we've launched new sections on Molecular Imaging and Ultrasound.
Each Road to RSNA preview gives you a comprehensive look at the most important sessions you'll want to attend in the modality that interests you most. And we've laid things out in a convenient day-by-day format to make it easier for you to put your RSNA schedule together.
Check it out at rsna.auntminnie.com, and look for more Road sections to come!
