Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The American College of Radiology is turning up the heat in the battle over physician self-referral by nonradiologists. The Reston, VA, society's proposal will ask Congress to impose limits on who can conduct imaging studies on Medicare patients.
The move is in response to heightened concerns in the radiology community regarding physicians who buy imaging equipment and conduct studies in their own offices rather than referring patients to radiologists. Radiologists claim the practice leads to overutilization of imaging services, as physicians have an economic self-interest in doing the studies themselves and pocketing the reimbursement.
As reported in our Imaging Center Digital Community by staff writer Tracie L. Thompson, the ACR is proposing that the U.S. government develop a "designated physician imager" program -- basically a list of physicians who are eligible to be reimbursed for imaging services provided to Medicare patients.
The proposal, still in draft form, could take years to get passed into law. But the ACR believes that such a program could save Medicare billions of dollars annually. Read all about it in our Imaging Center Digital Community, at centers.auntminnie.com.
