Medical Imaging Companies Join Forces To Slow Reimbursement Cuts
It seems that most medical imaging manufacturers have found something they agree on, CMS proposals to cut payments to physicians are bad for their sales efforts.
As explained by Jeffery Young on “The Hill”, “Although the fees in question are paid to physicians or imaging facilities rather than the equipment manufacturers, reductions in those fees could discourage doctors from obtaining the latest technology or encourage them to perform fewer scans.”
The article goes on to quote MedPac officials about the multitude of factors that may explain how Medicare spending on imaging doubled between 2000 and 2005, reaching $13.7 billion.
According to MedPac these include:
-the availability of costly and sophisticated new equipment
-patient demand
-flaws in the payment system that led to more scans being performed in doctors offices
-“defensive medicine” practiced by doctors fearful of malpractice lawsuits
-the desire of physicians to increase their incomes
