UPDATE ON 2/17/12 — The House and Senate have passed the Payroll Tax Cut extension bill that also includes the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) fix for Medicare physicians. The vote was 293 to 132 in the House and 60 to 36 in the Senate. President Obama has promised to sign the bill into law.

Today, Safequard Services — a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contractor — is scheduled to release its first national Comparative Billing Report on Advanced Diagnostic Imaging. The CBR will draw from Medicare final paid claims data with 2010 service dates to create tables and graphs showing how a provider's billing and payment

On Tuesday, groups representing radiologists blasted President Obama’s proposed budget that calls for $820 million in reductions to advanced imaging over 10 years.

The Society for Brain Imaging and Therapeutics has announced a coalition of top U.S. and Canadian scientists dedicated to finding solutions for neurological disorders.

A team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute surveyed available studies on radiation dose exposure and came up with key recommendations to reduce exposure from diagnostic imaging.

In the latest negotiations over a so-called “doc-fix,” Congressional leaders reportedly made some progress last week before the tone soured over the weekend.

Cardiologists expect to order fewer diagnostic imaging tests, based on a new report by the market research firm IMV.

Based on the widespread success of the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (BI-RADS) the ACR and two other groups recently announced a joint venture to create a similar program for prostate screening.