Bill Would Assist With MIPPA Compliance

A bill that would assist entities opening advanced medical imaging facilities in complying with the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008 has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio). The bill, HR 3328, yields to these providers a six-month grace period during which they can receive Medicare reimbursement while awaiting accreditation. Current law does not allow such a strategy, Renacci noted in a statement today. Renacci deemed the grace period a “simple solution for a problem that was overlooked when MIPPA was originally passed,” noting that it will lead to job creation as well as help small, start-up medical imaging businesses in Ohio and around the U.S. Renacci brought the bill to the House of Representatives on November 2. It was subsequently referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means. The version of MIPPA that passed three years ago called for an 18-month postponement of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which had been slated for a 10.6% increase in 2008. However, it also included requirements intended to address perceived overutilization of advanced diagnostic imaging services—for instance, a mandate that providers of these services attain accreditation by January 2012 in order to collect Medicare reimbursement for the technical component of scans. Nonetheless, Renacci asserted in the statement, no grace period was stipulated in the law, in turn building significant barriers to establishing advanced imaging facilities. Moreover, he said, new advanced imaging facilities are hampered by the fact that they must submit , in order to attain MIPPA accreditation, specific case studies, quality assurance information, and other documentation is not always easily acquired or may take significant time and effort to amass.