ALBUQUERQUE - The American Society of Radiologic Technologists announced today that the CARE bill (HR 3652) was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. The Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill would set certification standards in the Medicare program for the technical personnel providing, planning and delivering all medical imaging examinations and radiation therapy.
"The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which passed in 2008, was a great first step toward ensuring that medical imaging is performed by qualified personnel," said ASRT President Diane Mayo, R.T.(R)(CT). MIPPA mandates that any facility performing computed tomography, magnetic resonance, positron emission technology and nuclear medicine services for Medicare patients must be accredited by an organization that meets standards set by the secretary of health and human services in order to be eligible for the technical component of reimbursement. However, MIPPA only covers 30 percent of the medical imaging procedures completed in the United States.
"We believe that the CARE bill completes MIPPA's goal of setting quality standards for all medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals," ASRT Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy Christine J. Lung, CAE, said. "The CARE bill will cover the other 70 percent of medical imaging procedures conducted in the United States, which are x-ray, fluoroscopy and ultrasound. The bill would make sure they are performed by qualified and certified medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals."
For more information about the CARE bill, visit www.asrt.org/CARE.