A number of top imaging groups are railing against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ decision to include reimbursement cuts to radiology in its finalized 2021 Physician Fee Schedule.
Shortly after CMS publicized its rule on Tuesday night, the American College of Radiology and its coalition of more than 70 healthcare organizations pushed back on what they see as “arbitrary” reductions, suggesting patients will ultimately bear the brunt of these cutbacks.
Under the new rule, which begins on Jan. 1, Medicare payment policy changes for office and outpatient visits will result in reimbursement cuts of 10% for certain specialties, including radiology.
“If Congress fails to mitigate these cuts, decreases in Medicare payments will further exacerbate the problems occurring across the country with practices and institution-based providers furloughing or cutting staff and an increasing number closing their doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ACR said in its Dec. 1 statement.
ACR President Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, called CMS’ move “disappointing” in a tweet sent yesterday.
On Wednesday morning, the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance said it strongly opposes CMS’ decision, labeling the specialty cuts as “ruinous.” Executive Director of MITA, Patrick Hope, also underscored the detrimental impact such reductions would inflict as radiology departments grapple with the ongoing pandemic.
Meanwhile, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology noted the new payment policies would give a 1% bump to cardiologists, on average, but would significantly impact those who rely on imaging to diagnose and manage their patients. It also urged Congress to intervene on behalf of physicians.
The ACR, MITA and ASNC are all part of a coalition representing more than 1 million physician and nonphysician providers across the U.S., urging Congress to pass the “Holding Providers Harmless from Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020.”
“Our organizations stand united in highlighting that in the end, patients will suffer the most from implementation of these detrimental cuts,” ACR said in its statement on Tuesday.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.