The American College of Radiology (ACR) is supporting a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress to prospectively repeal the existing 25% Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) for Medicare reimbursement.
The Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act (HR 2043) would reverse the MPPR, which is applied to Medicare payments for interpretation of advanced diagnostic imaging scans performed on the same patient during the same session on the same day.
HR 2043 was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX), Peter Roskam (R-IL), and Betty McCollum (D-MN). The legislation mirrors S 1020, which was introduced last week by Sens. David Vitter (R-LA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD).
The policy "affects care for the most sick or injured patients ... who often require interpretations by different doctors to recover," said Dr. Bibb Allen Jr., chair of the ACR's board of chancellors, in a statement.
