Senate drops medical imaging cuts as trade deal pay-for

{mosads}”With imaging procedure use flat and reimbursements having been cut five times in five years, the Senate Finance Committee’s decision to remove dramatic Medicare cuts for imaging from the trade bill is good news for those concerned with access to early diagnosis and disease detection,” Dave Fisher, executive director of the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, said in a statement.

The independent board that recommends Medicare payments and policy has long had medical imaging in its sights, saying physicians order too many useless tests because they’re too well-reimbursed by Medicare.

The imaging cuts would have raised $400 million over 10 years, while the new pay-for raises an estimated $525 million.