Imaging Admins Concerned About Reimbursement

Continuing the trend of concern over reimbursement, medical imaging administrators reported having “very low confidence” that they will be adequately reimbursed from Medicare.

The latest Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI) data showed that medical imaging managers are even more discouraged about reimbursement than this time last year, when the confidence score was 66. The confidence score for the first quarter of 2014 was a mere 57. The index evaluated the outlooks of 178 hospital imaging directors and managers.

Managers are confident that internal operating and staff costs will remain constant and their departments will maintain or grow as a profit center. The consensus on monthly growth in diagnostic and interventional radiology is neutral. But managers did show concern about having access to capital for imaging equipment and IT needs.

Here are the full results for the first quarter of 2014:

What do you think?

Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI) was co-developed by AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management and The MarkeTech Group, owner of the imagePRO panel, launched in 2008. MICI data rely on the feedback of a statistical cohort of respondents from the imagePRO panel that accurately represent the US market hospital market by bedsize and geographic areas.

For more on the MICI, check out the FAQ here.