The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) and the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), today commended the House of Representatives for passing legislation to repeal the medical device excise tax. The legislation, H.R. 160 “The Protect Medical Innovation Act,” passed with a vote of 280 to 140.

There are two schools of thought on physician self-referral. On one side are supporters who see the practice as a harmless means of streamlining care for patients. On the other are detractors who consider it a cynical form of capitalism run amok in healthcare.

“The repeal of the medical device tax is our number one priority for 2015. We are really hoping this is the year we see it repealed.”

Last week CMS announced that more than 257,000 physicians—that’s more than half of all docs treating Medicare patients—will be docked 1 percent in 2015 for failing to meet their 2013 Meaningful Use goals. The fallout from the federal program’s critics was swift and pointed. This week imagingBiz asked ACR to weigh in on behalf of radiologists. 

Smaller healthcare providers are struggling to catch up with their larger counterparts, but across the board more organizations are embracing the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) for medical coding compared with a year ago. 

Medicare’s temporary freeze on payments for certain PET scans of solid tumors, which began Oct. 6 and won’t end until Nov. 11, came as no surprise. The agency announced last spring that it needed time to test and edit this part of its claims-processing system. 

Its full steam ahead as the health insurance exchange (HIE) open enrollment period comes to a close. With the announcement that 7 million individuals have enrolled in the plan, many changes are expected based on this new patient population.

On October 1, 2014, healthcare practices will be required to use a revised version of the International Classification of Diseases code: ICD-10.