Access to Diagnostic Scans Threatened - Rural States Most At Risk

Representatives of Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), Washington D.C., in conjunction with Radiology Group Imaging Center held a news conference on July 1st to publicize how health care proposals in Congress will affect future access to advanced medical imaging. At issue is the proposed formula that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and President Obama would use to determine how physicians, imaging centers, and hospitals would be reimbursed for medical imaging services. The passage of this fast-and-furious national proposal would drastically impact patient access to life-saving medical imaging services, particularly for those living in rural states like Iowa (http://rightscanrighttime.org/news-updates/).  The potential impact of these proposals include:

• Reduction or elimination of “advanced imaging” services, specifically CT, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, and PET.
• Reduction or elimination of DEXA scanning used to diagnose and monitor osteoporosis. (http://www.auntminnie.com/print/print.asp?sec=sup&sup=imc&pag=dis&ItemID=85417&printpage=true
• Reduction or elimination of mammography services in rural areas. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/05/25/MRI-detects-unsuspected-breast-tumors/UPI-65681243305705/
• Rural patients traveling longer distances due to lack of services. 
• Congestion and inconvenient delays at the point of care.
• Long waits between scheduling and date-of-service.
• Wide-spread proliferation of for-profit Radiology Benefit Managers (RBMs) to evaluate doctors’ requests for medical images. (RBMs were established by health insurance companies to deny imaging services to patients and often employ insurance actuaries rather than medical doctors to determine the need for services.) (http://rightscanrighttime.org/news-updates/)
• Patients delaying or forgoing necessary advanced imaging procedures.
• Doctors forced to reduce or eliminate services in their communities.

Along with Laboratory Services and Pathology, Diagnostic Medical Imaging is one of the essential services of diagnostic medicine. In 2006 Congress made significant cuts to medical imaging reimbursement. The impact of those cuts are just now beginning to be felt—especially in smaller communities and rural regions of the country. Further cuts would decimate outpatient imaging services in rural regions of the state. In Iowa, residents already face health challenges such as limited access to primary care, (47th in the country), low public health funding (44th in the country)1, and higher than average rate of cancer incidence (19th highest incidence in the country).2  Restricted access to medical imaging threatens to reverse progress made in detecting and treating deadly diseases.

Currently, medical imaging empowers physicians to order the “right scan at the right time,” providing the ability to diagnose injury or disease when it is its most treatable. Progressive radiology professionals have been the innovative, influential force behind revolutionizing how physicians fight the deadliest of diseases—from cancer to heart disease. However, further cuts to medical imaging would stifle innovation and severely limit patient access to live-saving technology such as CT, MRI, Nuclear Medicine and PET scans.

We ask that you tell Congress to reject further cuts to medical imaging and instead support policies that preserve patient access and the autonomy of physicians to determine when advanced imaging technology is medically required, http://capwiz.com/imagingaccess/issues/alert/?alertid=13562081&type=TA.
 
If you have a story of how medical imaging has affected your life or the life of a loved one, tell your members of Congress at http://rightscanrighttime.org/stories-of-imaging/share-your-story/ and click on “Share Your Story.”

Medical imaging has been called “one of the top medical innovations of the last millennium.”  When used appropriately, medical imaging saves lives and reduces health care costs, (http://rightscanrighttime.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lee-imaging-study-statement-final-6-29-09.pdf). Let's make sure that doctors and patients are able to decide when a scan is needed, and Medicare beneficiaries have access to diagnostic and therapeutic imaging. It is crucial that lawmakers advance health care reform policies to improve our system—without compromising patient access to modern, high quality care.  
 
Notes:
1 “America’s Health Rankings 2008: Iowa,” United Health Foundation. http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/pdfs/ia.pdf, Accessed June 29, 2009

2  “Cancer Incidence per 100,000,” State Health Facts, Kaiser Family Foundation. http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=64&cat=2, Accessed June 25, 2009

Additional Links
Rural Radiology Rights -  http://imaging-radiation-oncology.advanceweb.com/Article/Rural-Radiology-Rights.aspx, 6-15-09

Twenty-two Medical Specialty Organizations Express Opposition to the use of RBMs in Medicare. http://rightscanrighttime.org/category/news/legislation/

“Get the Right Scan at the Right Time.”  http://www.rightscanrighttime.org/

“ACR Lobbies Against RBMs, Utilization Rate Changes, http://www.auntminnie.com/print/print.asp?sec=sup&sub=imc&pag=dis&ItemId=86343&printpage=true

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