Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and David Vitter (R-LA) last week introduced legislation to stop the multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) from going into effect on the professional component of Medicare advanced diagnostic imaging reimbursement

Nearly a year after the FDA approved the first brain imaging test to diagnose Alzheimer’s, the test remains uncommon outside of research trials. “We have a lot of interest, but few patients are willing to pay for it,” notes Judith Rose, MD, director of PET/CT and nuclear medicine for RadNet.

A bipartisan group of House Representatives have introduced H.R. 1148, the “Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act of 2013,” which would authorize CMS to reimburse for procedures performed by radiology assistants (RAs) in states that have laws establishing RA practice guidelines.

Previously, drug developers had to show that drugs improved functions of daily living. However, the FDA is proposing to loosen this requirement so researchers can test if experimental drugs may work better if given before dementia begins, when the disease may only be visible through brain PET imaging.

The effort to require radiologic technologists to obtain a state license to practice continues in two of the states without such laws. The Michigan Society of Radiologic Technologists, is seeking a bill, while in Idaho, there is a bill but it may be stalled in committee

The agency agreed to the request by the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) to remove non-coverage language for PET radiopharmaceuticals that receive approval from the FDA and allow local Medicare contractors to choose to cover or not cover PET scans using newly FDA-approved tracers.

With the intention of establishing “a safety organization that can serve as a national model,” Strategic Radiology (SR) of Palmetto is seeking formal AHRQ certification for its new Patient Safety Organization (PSO)

In the interest of patient safety, the North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists hope a bill to require RTs to be licensed by the state may soon be introduced in the state legislature