CMS will increase the equipment utilization rate assumption used to determine the practice expense for all nontherapeutic medical equipment, including diagnostic imaging systems, from 50% to 90% under new Medicare fee schedule rules announced Friday. In a bit of good news for radiology, CMS said it remains on track to require that suppliers of advanced imaging services become accredited by 2012.
CMS will increase the equipment utilization rate assumption used to determine the practice expense for expensive, nontherapeutic medical equipment, including diagnostic imaging systems, from 50% to 90% under new Medicare fee schedule rules announced Friday. In a bit of good news for radiology, CMS said it remains on track to require that suppliers of advanced imaging services become accredited by 2012.
The announced hike of the assumed utilization rate for advanced imaging equipment covered by the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was not quite as onerous as expected. Although the utilization rate assumption for medical imaging equipment that costs more than $1 million will jump substantially, the new standard will be phased in over a four-year period.
Congress is likely to change this formula. The House reform bill announced this week would increase the assumed utilization rate for advanced imaging equipment to 75%. The Senate Finance Committee bill proposes a 65% utilization rate.
The 2010 Medicare fee schedule rules reflect important gains made by organized radiology in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. In deference to the law, the 2010 fee schedule states that CMS will implement a requirement that suppliers of the technical component of advanced imaging services must become accredited by Jan. 1, 2012.
The accreditation requirement will apply to mobile units, physicians' offices, and independent diagnostic testing facilities that perform diagnostic imaging, but would exempt physicians who interpret it. The rule states that CMS will address suppliers' accountability, business integrity, physician and technologist training, service quality, and performance management in future communications.
Stay at the forefront of radiology with the Diagnostic Imaging newsletter, delivering the latest news, clinical insights, and imaging advancements for today’s radiologists.
Twenty Years of CT Colonography for Colorectal Cancer Screening: What the Research Reveals
July 29th 2025Computed tomography colonography (CTC) demonstrated a 91.6 percent positive predictive value (PPV) for polyps > 6 mm, according to new research involving over 9,000 patients who underwent CTC for primary asymptomatic colorectal cancer screening.
The Reading Room Podcast: A Closer Look at Remote MRI Safety, Part 2
July 25th 2025In the second of a multi-part podcast episode, Emanuel Kanal, M.D. and Tobias Gilk, MRSO, MRSE, share their perspectives on remote MRI safety protocols for ensuring screening accuracy and adherence to conditional implant guidelines as well as a rapid and effective response to adverse events.
The Reading Room Podcast: Current and Emerging Insights on Abbreviated Breast MRI, Part 2
July 23rd 2025In the second part of a multi-part podcast episode, Stamatia Destounis, MD, Emily Conant, MD and Habib Rahbar, MD, discuss key sequences for abbreviated breast MRI and how it stacks up to other breast cancer screening modalities.
Study Reveals Significant Prevalence of Abnormal PET/MRI and Dual-Energy CT Findings with Long Covid
July 22nd 2025In a prospective study involving nearly 100 patients with Long Covid, 57 percent of patients had PET/MRI abnormalities and 90 percent of the cohort had abnormalities on dual-energy CT scans.