Declining radiology revenues continue

PARCA  eNews – Oct. 30, 2020 – Reimbursement for radiology services have been declining over the past decade according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. The study analyzed global fees, which encompass both the technical and professional components of reimbursement.

The declining payment trends began with reductions to diagnostic radiology services following the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and affected multiple modalities including bone densitometry, CT, CT angiography, mammography, MR angiography, MRI, nuclear medicine, radiography, and ultrasound.
The biggest inflation-adjusted declines included MRI which declined by an average of $52 (8.2 percent), and bone densitometry, which declined by and average of $8 or 70.5 percent.

The trend will be continued as the US Centers for Medicare and Medicate Shrives (CMS) released its annual Medicare payment schedule which proposes an 11 percent decrease in diagnostic radiology, 9 percent decrease in Interventional Radiology, 8 percent decrease in Nuclear Medicine and 6 percent less for radiation oncology.

The proposed rule is subject to public comment and interested organization are encouraged to weigh in on the changes.

Sources: Aunt Minnie and the Journal of the American College of Radiology