INDIANAPOLIS, IN – (June 8, 2015) – Zotec Partners (Zotec), a leading provider of physician billing and practice management services, is inviting visitors to explore its new company website at www.zotecpartners.com.

Finding a path into the future is challenging in these times of change and uncertainty, but three Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) board members did their best to shed light on one of the murkiest topics in radiology today: the future of physician payment.

Felix Roque, MD, the mayor of West New York, N.J., has been indicted by a state grand jury on numerous charges related to the “Operation RayScam” radiology kickback scheme. Rogue faces charges of second-degree healthcare claims fraud, second-degree commercial bribery and third-degree running.

And now, time for a little good news. All physicians billing to Medicare are receiving a 0.5% increase in the conversion factor used to determine reimbursement payments.

A new final rule published by CMS updates the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) by providing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) with a new track for shared saving, more flexibility, and more incentives.

The top 1% of all physicians who billed Medicare in 2013—including 240 radiologists—received 17.5% of the federal program’s total payments, according to the Wall Street Journal’s recent analysis of CMS data. That number is up from 16.6% in 2012.  

A Supreme Court ruling on King v. Burwell, a case questioning the constitutionality of federal subsidies found within the Affordable Care Act, is expected by the end of June. An interactive map from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows how a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could affect the 34 states in which exchanges are run by the federal government.

The implementation of health information exchange (HIE) platforms can lead to decreases in the number of radiology exams completed by an emergency department (ED) and significant savings, according to research by Brookings Institution fellow Niam Yaraghi.