The American College of Radiology is urging the federal government to permanently allow providers to supervise diagnostic tests remotely.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services first began allowing this perk in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the rule change is slated to expire by the end of 2024, ACR said in a Wednesday update shared with its members.
Representatives from the college recently met with CMS leaders on Feb. 12 to voice the importance of continued telehealth flexibility.
“Additionally, the ACR asks that CMS require secondary nonphysician licensed practitioners [e.g., registered nurses] to be on-site throughout the performance of those tests (not in a supervisory role but be available to assist with possible patient adverse reactions when contrast agent is used,” CEO William T. Thorwarth Jr., MD, wrote in comments submitted to the feds late last year. “The ACR appreciates and supports CMS’ prioritization of patient safety,” he added, emphasizing that the college “recognizes that flexibility is necessary for those practices that deliver care to rural or underserved populations who may experience access-to-care issues.”
The rule allows for physicians to directly supervise level 2 diagnostic tests via two-way audio or video. Same for certain nonphysician providers in states where scope-of-practice laws allow them. Read more about the issue in ACR’s comment letter.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.