Fifty-seven members of Congress have sent a letter to President Obama urging him to take into account the value of imaging in medicine in his efforts for health care reform.

The members of Congress, including Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Gene Green (D-TX) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA), ask the President to reject "arbitrary cuts to imaging services or changes to the utilization rate assumption."

The letter mentions the various progressive uses of imaging, including reducing the need for more invasive procedures. The letter expresses concerns over health care payers and policy makers who want to control health care costs by restricting coverage of imaging services. "Not only do we believe that this could lead to inferior patient care," the letter states, "but in the long run it may increase--not decrease--health care costs. We must ensure that our constituents have access to the right scan at the right time."
According to a press release by the American College of Radiology (ACR), the ACR circulated the letter to congresspersons as a joint effort with the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), and the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC).

The letter may be accessed through a link on the American College of Radiology website: http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/GR_Econ/FeaturedCategories/congressional/NoArbitraryImagingCuts.aspx

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