RESTON, Va. - SNM-an international scientific and professional organization of more than 16,000 members-applauds Congress for overriding the presidential veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. This bill not only reverses a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare fees to physicians but also includes an 18-month extension of the 2007 reimbursement rates for vital radioimmunotherapies used in the treatment of cancer, neurological disease and many other types of debilitating and life-threatening illnesses.

"Thousands of patients will benefit and live longer if the government and private payers adequately reimburse highly effective radioimmunotherapies," said Robert W. Atcher, Ph.D., M.B.A., president of SNM and emerging medical technology team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. "This bill signals a significant step forward in delivering critical treatments to patients and ensure that patients receive quality levels of care."

Approved radiopharmaceuticals such as Zevalin™ and Bexxar™ have been found to be effective for the treatment of lymphoma.

In addition, the bill requires accreditation of medical professionals who perform advanced diagnostic imaging services, including MRI, CT, and PET-representing a solid step toward the uniform credentialing for the administration and analysis of these diagnostic imaging procedures.

Earlier this year, Congress appropriated funds to enable the Department of Energy to restore $17 million in research funding for nuclear medicine. "This new bill represents another step forward for molecular imaging in today's medical practice," said Atcher. "SNM and its members are very pleased with this legislation, and strongly supportive of measures that enable patients to obtain valuable imaging procedures interpreted by competent physicians and to have access to essential therapies."

SNM has urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide fair and adequate reimbursement for effective diagnostic techniques and life-saving medical therapies. For more information on SNM's policy statement on reforming radiopharmaceutical reimbursement under Medicare, please visit www.snm.org/cmspolicy.

About SNM-Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM's more than 16,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.