As the technology used for radiologic studies matures, providers and referrers are increasingly focused on providing patients with a friendlier imaging environment—with good reason, according to Tariq Gill, MD. “We need to make a conscious effort to make things nonthreatening,” he says. “In our community, we have three main hospitals, and each one

Plenty remains unknowable about the incipient impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), but the act does stand to affect imaging providers, specifically through its compliance, fraud, and payment provisions, many of which have already taken effect or will take effect in the near future.

At Shields Health Care Group (SHCG), an outpatient high-end imaging provider headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, staying ahead of the technology curve has been a clearly defined business initiative from the beginning. It is paying off handsomely. According to the company, one in every three MRI patients in the state is imaged at an SHCG center.

CMS is proposing a new round of cuts to the imaging technical component by extending the multi-procedural payment reduction (MPPR) across all CT, MRI, and ultrasound studies performed on the same patient in the same day in its proposed rule for the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. As mandated by Congress, the discount increased from 25% to 50%

Six interventional radiologists (IRs) associated with Radiological Associates of Sacramento have filed a civil action against Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region for barring them from the operating suites at three Sacramento-area hospitals.

In a 417 to 1 vote, the House passed legislation to reverse a 21.3% SGR-mandated physician pay cut and grant a 2.2% pay increase instead. Rep George Miller (D-Calif) was the only holdout.

A new report, Medicaid Coverage and Spending in Health Reform: National and State-by-State Results, offers detailed analysis of the impact of the Medicaid expansion mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on state and federal Medicaid coverage and costs.

Left with no other choice, CMS has instructed its carriers to lift the hold on processing physician claims submitted since June 1 and begin paying the bills with the 21.3% negative sustainable growth rate update.