By an overwhelming margin of 392-37, the U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would permanently replace the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Attention will now turn to the Senate, which must pass the bill before April 1 to head off significant physician pay cuts.

Radiology is constantly changing, and that goes for more than just the technologies being used.

Senate and House leaders officially introduced legislation aimed at permanently repealing and replacing the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula.

With a permanent replacement for Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula tantalizingly close at hand, a letter signed by more than 700 medical associations, including dozens of imaging societies, is calling on Congress to finally finish the job.

A recent study of imaging utilization found an association between inappropriate imaging of patients with low-risk prostate cancer and low-risk breast cancer across hospital referral regions (HRRs), suggesting regional-level factors contribute substantially to utilization trends.

14 billion dollars—that’s how much the use of outpatient imaging services costs for Medicare beneficiaries each year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That figure is driving change throughout the medical imaging industry, with an increased emphasis on quality and efficiency at the forefront of efforts to curb wasteful spending on outpatient imaging services.

Public data made available by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) paints an informative picture of the wide variation in imaging utilization across the country.

AMA President Robert M. Wah, M.D. issued the following statement in response to today's HHS announcement regarding new goals for transitioning Medicare's payment system.