At the closing session of the 109th Congress, no action or legislation passed to delay enactment of the imaging cuts contained in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA).

As previously reported by DOTmed News, DRA impacts free-standing imaging centers by limiting technical reimbursement for imaging procedures to the lowest amount of what would be paid under the hospital outpatient prospective payment system or Medicare fee schedule payment. Reimbursement for brain MRI scans will be reduced as much 50 percent!

To view a sample list of the cuts to various procedures, and the severity of the cuts, please consult the following chart from the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), posted on their website: Sample reimbursement cuts

AMIC consists of more than 75,000 patients, physicians, and medical providers. The group conducts public affairs, advocacy, and educational activities on behalf of legislation to address these payment reductions.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has also focused on repealing the DRA cuts, and expressed deep regret about the issue. According to Shawn Farley, ACR Public Relations Manager, these cuts will "discourage research and development of new imaging technologies." Farley also expressed concern that patients in rural areas will be especially hard hit because they will have to travel longer distances to reach imaging centers.

The ACR is currently formulating a strategy to push measures through the 110th Congress, which is Democrat-controlled and begins sessions after the new year.

If you are a stakeholder on this issue, please visit http://www.acr.org as well as http://imagingaccess.org.