June 29, 2006—Late Wednesday night, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Penn) introduced HR 5704, the Access to Medicare Imaging Act, in the United States House of Representatives. With 42 cosponsors representing a broad bipartisan coalition, the legislation calls for a two-year moratorium on the Medicare payment cuts for imaging services prescribed by the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, which Congress passed in February.
“These cuts, if enacted, will lead to reimbursement reductions of upwards of 30 to 50% for imaging services that patients and their physicians rely on to properly detect, diagnose, and treat life-threatening conditions,” Rep. Pitts said. “A delay in the implementation of these cuts is essential in order to give Congress a chance to fully understand how cuts of this magnitude could affect Medicare beneficiaries’ access to imaging services.”
In a press release circulated by representatives of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Nancy Davenport-Ennis, CEO of the National Patient Advocate Foundation, and a member of the newly formed Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), was quoted as saying: “No one wants to undergo invasive surgeries, long-term hospitalizations and loss of independence and functionality because they simply could not get to an imaging facility in a timely manner. But that is the real world effect of these cuts.” She noted the cuts were called for without sufficient research or background information; the pertinent section of the DRA was enacted without the usual hearings with the medical community.
Rep. Pitts’ legislation also calls for a comprehensive Government Accountability Office study, which would explore the impact of the DRA’s payment methodology on patient access.
AMIC is a coalition of patient advocacy groups; medical manufacturers, including DMS Imaging; providers, including Health South; and associations, including the American College of Radiology, the National Coalition for Quality Diagnostic Imaging, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
