Letter from the Online Editor, March 2012: Budget battle deja vu
March 01, 2012
by
Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor
This letter originally appeared in the March 2012 print edition of DOTmed Business news.
While the most-read story over the past 30 days is not a repeat, you should still be able to recognize it. That's because it's about the fiscal year 2013 federal budget, which is similar to the 2012 federal budget, covered in these
pages last year, in one important regard. Namely, the new budget contains the same proposed plans for imaging that drew an outcry from radiologists last year: it calls for a bump in the assumed utilization rate (meaning lower Medicare payments to providers) and for doctors to get permission from somebody, probably a radiology benefits manager, before ordering an exam.
Just like in 2011, radiologists don't seem happy about the proposals, and the American College of Radiology said it'll work to get them stricken from the final budget, which is what happened in the last go-around. It remains to be seen, of course, if the script plays out the same way this time.
If you have a news tip or comment, write to me at brendon@dotmed.com.