The use of PET imaging increased rapidly from 2004 through 2008 among Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with cancer, according to a study published in the January issue of Journal of the American College of Radiology. The researchers surmised that PET primarily serves as an additional, rather than replacement, imaging exam.
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services comb through reimbursement codes to identify potentially misvalued codes, radiology is disproportionately targeted, primarily because of the specialty’s historic accuracy in coding, according to an article in the January issue of Journal of American College of Radiology. The article pinpointed three sources of bias against radiology services.
A pair of articles in the January issue of Radiology debated whether or not radiology departments need to develop an informed consent process that details the risk of medical radiation. Both groups of experts recognized that informed consent may not be ready for prime time, albeit for different reasons, and acknowledged the value of informed decision making.
The transition to a new year lends itself to reflection on the past and preparation for the future, and an article in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology takes the opportunity to do both by looking back on ACR’s 2011 Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference (AMCLC) where a major topic of conversation was the challenges facing radiology heading into an uncertain future.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed the American College of Radiology that “operational limitations” will prevent them from applying the imaging professional component Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) to group practices beginning Jan. 1, 2012. Therefore, CMS will not apply the professional component MPPR for imaging services performed by separate physicians in the same group practice for 2012.
The U.S. House of Representative passed the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act (H.R. 3630) Dec. 13. Among other things, H.R. 3630 prevents an across the board 27 percent cut to Medicare physician reimbursement statutorily required by the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The bill provides physicians with a 1 percent increase in Medicare payments for 2012 and 2013.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has joined the ABIM Foundation and eight other medical specialty societies in the Choosing Wisely campaign. Choosing Wisely promotes wise choices by physicians and patients to improve health outcomes, avoid unnecessary interventions and make efficient use of healthcare dollars.
CHICAGO—Errors in interpretation of ultrasound screening of breast cancer were similar in prevalence (21 percent of misses) to errors in mammographic and MRI interpretation, based on a retrospective review of the ACRIN 6666 trial, presented Nov. 27 at the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Radiologists’ recommendations for follow-up imaging generated 5.3 percent of chest and abdominal CT, brain and lumbar spine MRI and body PET exams, with pulmonary nodule evaluation identified as the most common cause for follow-up imaging, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in Radiology.
While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in response to American College of Radiology (ACR) data, and a furious reaction from the imaging community, revised the multiple procedure payment reduction for interpretation of imaging from 50 percent to 25 percent, the 25 percent cut is still "unfounded and potentially dangerous," the ACR maintained in a Nov. 3 statement. The unanticipated final rule expansion of this reduction to include multiple providers within the same group practice violates the spirit of the rulemaking process and indicates that CMS fundamentally misunderstands the practice of medicine, according to the ACR.
Citing significant variations in pediatric radiopharmaceutical doses and package inserts lacking pediatric doses, the authors of an article appearing in the November issue of Radiology indicated recently approved consensus guidelines for pediatric administered radiopharmaceutical doses may help solve the problem.
Reps. Pete Olson (R-Texas) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) introduced H.R. 3269 in the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 27. Co-sponsored by 31 House Members, the Diagnostic Imaging Services Protection Act would prohibit any multiple procedure payment reduction to the “professional component” of CT, MRI and ultrasound exams received by the same patient, on the same day, in the same setting in 2012.
A new analysis verified and strengthened earlier studies that demonstrated the link between financial interest in imaging and greater utilization of imaging. The research, published in the November issue of American Journal of Roentgenology, led the authors to suggest that cost-containment efforts target financial interest in imaging.
Post-treatment imaging with PET scans has shown promise in predicting which patients with stage II and III inoperable non-small cell lung cancer have aggressive tumors and need additional treatment, according to the preliminary study results reported at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in Miami.
The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) announced that the name of the two organizations’ combined clinical research alliance will be the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN). The newly formed entity will conduct research focused on the full cancer care continuum.
Imaging cuts in the administration’s deficit reduction proposal would restrict patient access to care and may actually raise costs, according to the American College of Radiology (ACR). The college has urged the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reject the Obama administration’s imaging recommendations and work with the ACR and other imaging stakeholders to create policies that ensure safe, appropriate care, promote quality and protect patient access.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is seeking to clarify the Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Alert, related to radiation-based imaging.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has announced the Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI), a professional development and leadership academy,,will offer its first courses in 2012.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has issued a letter imploring radiologists to express their disapproval over reimbursement cuts planned for the 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
SAN ANTONIO—According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), all non-hospital providers of advanced diagnostic imaging, inclusive of nuclear medicine, MR, CT and PET, must obtain accreditation as a condition for reimbursement by Jan. 1, 2012. Just who is authorized to offer such accreditation was the subject of a June 26 afternoon presentation at the 2011 Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) conference & expo.
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