For the first stage of cuts, which calls for an immediate $1 trillion over a decade in exchange for raising the debt ceiling by an additional $900 billion, imaging reimbursement was spared. But that might not be the case for the second stage, according to ACR.
President Obama and congressional lawmakers have agreed on major spending cuts as a part of the debt ceiling deal aimed at staving off a financial default.
The cuts are to happen in two stages. For the first stage, which calls for an immediate $1 trillion over a decade in exchange for raising the debt ceiling by an additional $900 billion, imaging reimbursement was spared. But that might not be the case for the second stage, according to ACR.
The second round of $1.4 to $1.5 trillion in cuts will be identified by a bipartisan “super committee” of House and Senate members. The group is expected to submit its recommendations at the end of November, and those recommendations could include cuts to Medicare, notes Aubrey Westgate at DI's sister publication, Physicians Practice.
“Although successful in averting any cuts associated with the initial $900 billion debt ceiling increase, ACR anticipates that the 12-member super committee undoubtedly will consider changes in Medicare physician reimbursement rates to cut costs,” according to the ACR. “Cuts to imaging will likely be part of a larger package of physician reimbursement reductions.”
If the committee doesn’t reach an agreement, $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts would be applied across the board, and Medicare would be included.
ACR vowed to continue educating lawmakers about “why further cuts to imaging are unnecessary and will adversely impact patient care.”
Have you been following the debt ceiling debate? Are you concerned it could impact imaging? Tell us what you think.
Seven Takeaways from Meta-Analysis of PSMA Radiotracers for Prostate Cancer Imaging
December 1st 2023In a newly published meta-analysis of 24 studies, researchers noted that the PSMA PET radiotracer 18F PSMA-1007 may provide more benefit than 68Ga Ga-PSMA-11 for primary staging of patients with prostate cancer and detection of local lesion recurrence, but also has drawbacks with higher liver uptake and multiple reports of false positive bone lesions.
GE HealthCare Launches AI Mammography Platform with Key Applications from iCAD
November 30th 2023Offering an all-in-one platform of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, MyBreastAI Suite reportedly facilitates early breast cancer detection and enhances efficiency with breast imaging workflows.