The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) is taking a hammer to President Donald Trump's proposed provision in the fiscal 2019 budget that expands so-called "site neutral" payment policies.
AMIC maintained that the proposal would further reduce Medicare payments for medical imaging services performed in certain hospital outpatient settings.
"Expanding the site-neutral policy will impact rural and safety-net hospitals, further limiting access to critical services for underserved patients," said Tim Trysla, executive director of AMIC, in a statement. "Reimbursing hospital-based facilities at the same rate as physician offices undermines the longstanding principle that those facilities should be reimbursed based on the costs of providing care and the additional regulatory requirements they face."
