Industry, GAO Disagree on Cost of Reimbursement Cuts for Imaging Services

Cuts in Medicare reimbursements for physician imaging services as a result of controversial provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 were more than intended by Congress and have contributed to hard times for the imaging industry, according to industry groups. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last month confirms that there have been cuts of approximately $1.7 billion in Medicare reimbursement for 2007. The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition says the amount of cuts was more than what the Congressional Budget Office anticipated in its scoring for reimbursement payments. And although imaging services increased last year, they did so at a reduced rate of 3.2 percent from 5.9 percent in 2000–2006.