Organization

Access To Medical Imaging Coalition


Report: Imaging utilization has decreased since DRA

Industry News | Tuesday, October 20 2009
The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition has released an analysis of 2008 Medicare claims data, which shows that growth in advanced imaging volume is less than that of other physician services since the implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA).
 

AMIC: MedPAC proposed 90% equipment utilization rate is unrealistic

Industry News | Thursday, September 10 2009
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) proposal to raise the utilization rate for imaging equipment to 90 percent is unrealistic based on fundamental economic principles and from a basic medical workflow perspective, according to an analysis released yesterday by the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC).
 

Survey: Medical imaging should not be subject to Medicare cuts in reform

Industry News | Wednesday, September 09 2009
The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) has released the results of a poll by Zogby International that suggests “Americans recognize the value of medical imaging as a critical component of high-quality healthcare.”
 

ACR lobbies to change aspects of healthcare reform

Industry News | Monday, August 17 2009
The American College of Radiology (ACR) is continuing to lobby for changes in several provisions in both the House and Senate versions of healthcare reform.
 

AMIC questions CMS utilization rate increase

Industry News | Friday, July 10 2009
The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) has released a statement of "concern" over the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) recent recommendations to President Barack Obama and Congress to reduce Medicare reimbursement rates for medical imaging and radiation therapies through an increase of 90 percent in assumed utilization rates for outpatient imaging and radiation facilities. 
 

House healthcare reform bill calls for 75% increase in imaging utilization

Top Stories | Wednesday, June 24 2009
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled their healthcare reform legislation Friday, calling for a 75 percent increase in the equipment utilization rate and an increase of 25 to 50 percent in the reduction of the technical component of imaging for multiple procedures.
 

RBMA: MedPAC imaging use rates far above reality

Top Stories | Friday, June 19 2009
Data released by the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) this week demonstrated that the use rate of diagnostic imaging equipment in an outpatient setting is approximately one half the amount claimed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Administration of President Barack Obama.
 

AMIC launches imaging Web site

Industry News | Monday, May 18 2009
The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) has unveiled a new Web site to demonstrate the imaging community's support for public policy that ensures patients have access to diagnostic imaging services.
 

Baucus: Healthcare reform roundtables are legislation cornerstore

Top Stories | Tuesday, May 05 2009
An average of 14,000 Americans lose health coverage each day, healthcare insurance premiums grow more than three times faster than wages and physician reimbursement has declined by more than 20 percent in the past eight years. Couple these sad statistics with a demographic shift that will see an ever increasing number of U.S. citizens eligible for, and needing services from, Medicare and it becomes clear that present healthcare delivery policies are quickly becoming fiscally unsustainable.
 

AMIC responds to Senate proposals for new imaging policies

Top Stories | Friday, May 01 2009
Imaging provisions contained in the Senate Finance Committee's proposals for healthcare delivery reform are "forward-thinking" policies that will ensure proper diagnostic imaging utilization over the long term, according to the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC).
 

AMIC counters MedPAC imaging report

Top Stories | Monday, March 16 2009
The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) released new data analysis Monday countering recommendations from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which has called for significant cuts in physician reimbursement rates for advanced medical imaging procedures.
 

AMIC: MedPAC medical imaging report flawed, should be rejected

Top Stories | Thursday, February 26 2009
A recent recommendation from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to change the formula that determines physician reimbursement rates for advanced imaging procedures "is based on a deeply flawed survey that should be rejected," according to the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC). Specifically, MedPAC has called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to significantly increase the formula's assumption about the amount of time that advanced imaging equipment is used by physicians by 40 percent, which will further slash reimbursement rates.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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