The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) applauded members of Congress for their efforts in developing a bipartisan Medicare payment reform package to permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
Members included Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Ranking Member Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Ranking Member Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and Ranking Member Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)
“This bill’s requirement that ordering physicians consult physician-developed appropriate use criteria (AUC) for advanced imaging services further encourages the safe and effective use of life-saving medical imaging, while ensuring patients have access to early detection and effective treatment,” said Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA. “Unlike the blunt instruments of across-the-board payment cuts or access restricting policies, appropriate use criteria will encourage appropriate use without threatening beneficiaries’ access to necessary scans and treatments.”
Physician-developed AUC require physicians to consult clinical guidelines developed by national medical society experts. Recent studies have indicated the potential of AUC to empower physicians and lead to appropriate usage of medical imaging.
For more information, visit MITA.
