Ready set Go! Regulatory, economic pressures pose challenges

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PARCA eNews – June 16, 2015 – The deficit reduction act of 2005, regulatory changes, aging imaging devices and the transition to value-based reimbursement are likely to continue to increase costs and reduce reimbursement for medical imaging groups over the next several years.

The challenges are expected to overwhelm the ability of many freestanding medical imaging practices to survive on the Medicare Physician Fee Service (MPFS) over the next several years and will drive changes in hospital radiology departments.

Sheila Sferella and Dave Pearson outline the impacts that changes in regulations, healthcare reform and advances in technology in a pair of articles in the June 16, 2015 issue of Radiology Business.

In short, here is a summary of some of the upcoming challenges:

·       Regulatory changes will continue to add cost, while reimbursements will continue to decline

·       Don’t bet on delays in implementation of clinical decision support

·       Aging CT equipment will need to be replaced to comply with dose optimization regulations

·       New “place-of-service” codes signal move to site neutral payment by CMS

If you have the time, check out Ready, Set, Go: Regulatory Changes Ahead for Medical Imaging and The Mission to Optimize Hospital Radiology.