Reimbursement woes call for paradigm shift

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Reimbursement woes call for paradigm shift PAYMENT POLICY Michael Longacre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent economic headlines have been equally negative for both providers and vendors: "$45 trillion gap seen in US benefits," "Medicare spending surged in 2006," "DRA cuts enter year two," "Philips' imaging sales hit by DRA," "GE Healthcare profits decline in 2007," "Bush seeks surplus through Medicare cuts." Now looming on the horizon is a proposed 10.6% reduction in the Medicare Part B conversion factor, set to kick in July 1, 2008. Many observers expect the U.S. Congress to act yet again to forestall this devastating across-the-board decrease for physicians and imaging centers. In both 2006 and 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed an approximate 5% reduction, and Congress intervened late in December both years to deny any changes to the conversion factor. Differences this time are that the current fix is for only six months, as opposed to 12 months previously, and the proposed reduction is more than double the previous one. Optimism is certainly preferred to pessimism, but it does require a measure of prudence.

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