Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies. 

Falsified timesheets get radiologist suspended years after the fact

A U.K. radiologist has received a six-month suspension for taking pay on unworked hours back in 2012 and 2013.

Whole body nuc-med imaging a solid contributor to inpatient infection management

PET/CT with the common radiotracer 18F-FDG has been found useful for workups and monitoring of infections in real-world hospitalized patients, according to a study conducted by researchers at Yale and Stanford published Nov. 14. 

Emergency referrers shown to care more about pursuing patient wellbeing than avoiding malpractice action

Contradicting prior research connecting heavy ordering of diagnostic exams with fear of malpractice charges—aka “defensive medicine”—a new survey shows ED referrers more focused on not harming patients than on not getting sued.

Independent radiology champion to Congress: ‘We are in serious danger of losing local healthcare focus’

Hospitals are rich and poised to get richer while independent physicians and groups continue to take it on the chin, facing ever more onerous pressures to consolidate under the headship of large hospitals, health systems or for-profit practice management companies.

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ACR out with first take on 2023 final HOPPS rule

The American College of Radiology is offering an initial appraisal of the rates CMS will pay next year for outpatient radiology and radiation oncology services through the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System.

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Final 2023 physician fee schedule out from CMS; early reactions register exasperation, resolve

CMS has finalized the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2023, and its reimbursement reductions for radiology are less harsh than those proposed preliminarily in July.

Providers face ‘ominous reality’ of payment cuts as CMS finalizes 2023 Physician Fee Schedule

Physicians are now bracing for payment cuts after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rule for the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule.

The fall and rise of trauma CT on the front and back of COVID-19

When COVID-19 social-distancing orders eased across a densely populated county in the southwest, trauma visits spiked 35% over the pre-pandemic normal. This was accompanied by a 17% increase in average daily trauma CT exams.

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The all-in-one Omni Legend PET/CT scanner is now being manufactured in a new production facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin.