ACR Hails Passage of Legislation Preventing Cuts in Physician Medicare Fees
Contact: Cary Boshamer
(703) 716-7540
E-mail: caryb@acr.org
Washington, D.C. –– The American College of Radiology (ACR), representing more than 32,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists, applauds Congress' passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act. Not only does this represent an historic step toward ensuring seniors have access to prescription drug coverage through Medicare, it ensures physicians' continued ability to provide needed services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Without this legislation, physicians were slated to receive another 4.5% cut in Medicare fees in 2004. The American College of Radiology worked closely with congressional leaders to ensure that the physician community was not subject to such a draconian cut.
As passed, the reform package provides for a statutory update to physicians' Medicare fees of 1.5 percent in 2004 and 2005. However, it is important to note that, beginning in 2006, physicians would face four years of steep cuts to recoup the costs of the 2004 and 2005 increases. Leaders in the House and Senate have committed to working with the physician community to ensure that this doesn't happen.
"One of the highest priorities that the ACR will assume in the months ahead is to work with our colleagues in medicine to develop fundamental payment reforms to the Medicare Fee Schedule. Radiologists cannot continue to be victimized by the ambiguities and capriciousness of current payment policies," stated ACR Executive Director, Harvey Neiman, M.D.