PricewaterhouseCoopers released its report on medical cost trends, which estimates numbers for 2019. The good news? Cost increases have leveled off—rising 6 percent in 2019. But for employers, these increasing expenditures do not lead to improved productivity. Medical costs continue to jump, while growth in labor productivity should remain near 1.1 percent for 2019—below the average annual increase of 2.3 percent in recent decades.

The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) submitted formal comments June 11 to the Energy and Commerce Committee applauding the organization’s investigation into medical device vulnerabilities and outlined suggested policies to advance cybersecurity for legacy medical imaging equipment.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has proposed making payment cuts to numerous specialties, including radiology, to “rebalance” the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule toward ambulatory evaluation and management (E&M) services.

After months of statements, speculation, trade talks, tweets and threats, the U.S. government has officially put tariffs in place on $50 billion worth of products imported from China, including medical imaging equipment. X-ray, CT and MRI equipment are all on the list of products included in this announcement.

In a Thursday, June 14, ruling, a federal appellate court denied claims from health insurers who claimed they were owed billions of dollars from an Affordable Care Act (ACA) program. The court ruled 2-1 against two insurers who wanted the federal government to repay them for covering sicker, more expensive patients than initially expected.

CT dose management is getting more attention than ever before, resulting in awareness campaigns, updated standards and numerous technological advances. According to a new commentary published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, however, the implementation of these changes is “often suboptimal.”

Medical device company Stryker filed a claim with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday saying it is not in discussions with Boston Scientific on a potential takeover.

A federal court hearing has been scheduled regarding the Trump administration’s decision to give states the power to enforce work requirements on Medicaid enrollees.