Hundreds of radiologists hit Capitol Hill to fight for Medicare reform
Hundreds of radiologists converged on Capitol Hill Wednesday to advocate for Medicare payment reform and other changes.
The event was part of the American College of Radiology’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., which concluded May 7. ACR estimated that over 450 lab-coat clad “radvocates” took part in the annual Capitol Hill Day, which included 250 meetings held in congressional offices.
Radiologists are pushing for changes in Medicare to prevent physicians from facing annual cuts to balance the federal payment program’s budget. Hill Day attendees pressed for legislative language in impending budget bills being debated before Congress.
“For the last several years, physicians have relied on last-minute annual congressional updates to minimize Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-mandated cuts to the formula used to calculate physician payment in Medicare,” ACR said in a news update shared prior to Hill Day. “Neither physicians nor lawmakers want to continue this annual ritual, and both parties are seeking a longer lasting solution that would provide stability and predictably to physician practices.”
In addition, radiology advocates also pressed for legislation to amend the appropriate use criteria section of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, ACR said. First established in 2014, the initiative required physicians to consult a decision-support system before ordering MR, CT and other advanced imaging to curb healthcare waste. But the program was plagued by postponements and other challenges, and CMS shelved it in 2023.
“Legislative amendments are needed” to help overcome “several administrative hurdles identified by CMS,” the college contends.
“ACR members advised lawmakers that savings associated with the amended PAMA can be used to help offset the cost of implementing Medicare physician payment reform,” the college said Wednesday.
Radvocates also presented House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., with the Congressional Award for Radiological Excellence, according to the May 7 update.
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.