MITA Says HOPPS Proposed Rule Will Limit Patient Access to Imaging

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) said that changes to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (HOPPS) proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would limit patient access to critical computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) services.

In a release, Gail Rodriguez, Executive Director of MITA wrote, “Because these imaging cost centers do not accurately capture the total costs of providing CT and MR services, this proposal will undervalue the costs of these vital services and lead to substantial Medicare reimbursement cuts for these imaging modalities in the hospital setting. Additionally, because of the Deficit Reduction Act imposes caps on reimbursement for non-hospital imaging services, drops in hospital outpatient payments will result in similar cuts to non-hospital reimbursement for imaging services.”

To read MITA’s full response, click here.