The American Medical Association (AMA) has appointed radiologist Dr. Ezequiel Silva III as the new chair of its Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC).
Dr. Ezequiel Silva III.As of March 1, the San Antonio, TX-based radiologist will begin a two-year term of leading the 32-member committee, which includes 300 medical advisors and other healthcare professionals. The RUC is responsible for assessing the impact of advances in science and technology on patient care and convening expert physician insight and input that informs Medicare payment policy, according to the AMA.
Silva has served as a member of the RUC since 2016, and he most recently served as chair of the RUC Research Subcommittee, which develops and refines RUC methodology. He has also served as past co-chair of the Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group, an expert panel convened by the AMA to identify barriers to adoption of digital medicine, the association said.
In a statement, the American College of Radiology (ACR) said it was "greatly pleased" with the appointment. Silva is the immediate past chair of the ACR Commission on Economics and a founding board member of the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute.
