Meet MITA XR-29 Radiation Standards Before Reimbursement Cuts Occur in 2016

When the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 1, there were new stipulations included within the legislation that affected different parts of health care. In addition to the year-long delay to the implementation of ICD-10, the bill also concerned imaging appropriateness criteria for radiologists.

According to Diagnostic Imaging, the new standards for radiation dosages that were included in PAMA mean that providers need to ensure that their equipment is compliant with the bill. While some existing imaging technologies have dose alert systems, other CT scanners may need to be upgraded or replaced to accommodate the changes.

The legislation passed by Congress sought to address patient safety concerns using regulatory standards established by the Medical Imaging Technology Association (MITA). While effectively reducing instances of overexposure to radiation, MITA’s provisions produced savings of more than $200 million to the federal government over the last decade. Having these standards included in PAMA might produce further financial improvements for diagnostic radiology practices.

Using ‘smarter’ doses in radiology
The stipulation, called XR-29 Standard Attributes on Computed Tomography Equipment Related to Dose Optimization and Management, was part of a response to a 2009 report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It showed that roughly 200 patients in an 18-month period had received excess exposure to radiation doses, which can lead to serious health complications such as imaging-induced cancer.

In accordance with MITA’s standards, CT scans performed on machines after Jan. 1, 2016, that are not compliant with XR-29 will receive a 5 percent reimbursement reduction. By 2017, the reduction will increase to 15 percent. When aiming to maintain a steady revenue cycle, reimbursement cuts could become a serious hurdle for providers to navigate.

Originally, the reimbursements were set to be implemented in 2015, but the American College of Radiology felt that health care facilities needed more time to assess their systems and make any necessary changes to remain compliant with XR-29. With the help of the ACR, Congress and MITA restructured the legislation to push back the initial reductions by a year and move the increased cuts into 2017.

In order to meet the congressional standards on radiation doses, radiologists should review their imaging equipment to ensure it is optimized for XR-29. If not, replacing existing systems may be required to avoid hefty reimbursement cuts.

Contact Viztek for more information.

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