The American College of Radiology is predicting that imaging access will plunge and patient waiting times will soar from new Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rules that will cut Medicare payments for outpatient imaging by an estimated 16% next year. More »
The risks for individual imaging services are low, but radiologists should not be surprised by a visit from a representative of Medicare’s inspector general’s office to investigate the medical necessity of emergency room scans or their imaging center billing patterns. More »
A proposal to increase the assumed equipment utilization rate, combined with other payment reductions, could result in 2010 rate cuts for imaging centers greater than those imposed by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, a new analysis concludes. More »
Has the sight of a morbidly obese person making his or her way down a supermarket aisle ever led you to wonder what all that weight is doing to the person’s knees? Data from a study supported by the National Institute on Aging indicates it’s probably doing a lot of cartilage damage. More »
Just as diagnostic imaging providers were figuring out strategies to weather the reimbursement cuts mandated by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the ground shifted once more with a severe economic downturn. More »
With obstacles to routine Medicare reimbursement of FDG-PET for most cancer cases cleared away, the imaging community is now focusing attention on private insurers and coverage policies that restrict access to the imaging technology. More »
