December 19, 2011 — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced reimbursements for diagnostic imaging services performed by the same physician, to the same patient, during the same session will remain the same. CMS has, however, informed the American College of Radiology (ACR) that “operational limitations” will prevent them from applying the imaging professional component Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) to group practices beginning Jan. 1, 2012.
Therefore, CMS will not apply the professional component MPPR for imaging services performed by separate physicians in the same group practice for 2012. This decision will affect both office and hospital practices.
CMS will still apply a 25 percent MPPR to the professional component of the aforementioned diagnostic imaging services. However, the ACR will continue its legislative efforts to block the entire professional component MPPR through enactment of H.R. 3269 in the second session of the 112th U.S. Congress. There are now 150 co-sponsors for this bill.
“I am proud of the tremendous effort exerted by more than 7,000 ACR members to contact CMS and explain the flaws in its original ruling. I’m also very gratified and encouraged by the grassroots efforts of our members in gaining support from 150 members of Congress for H.R 3269” said John A. Patti, M.D., FACR, chairman of the ACR Board of Chancellors. “While this bill did not appear in the final 2011 health are legislation, it is still alive and gaining more support for the next session,” Patti said.
For more information: www.acr.org
