Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Analyses of Accreditation Issues

Advanced diagnostic imaging (ADI) services, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear medicine (NM), allow physicians to diagnose life-threatening diseases like cancer and heart disease with greater speed and precision. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) required that beginning January 1, 2012, suppliers that produce the images for Medicare-covered ADI services in office settings, such as physician offices, be accredited by an organization approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This book examines the effect the accreditation requirement may have on beneficiary access to ADI services provided in the office setting. It also assesses CMS's standards for accreditation of ADI suppliers; CMS's oversight of the accreditation requirement; trends in Medicare spending on imaging services from 2000 through 2006; the relationship between spending growth and the provision of imaging services in physicians' offices; and imaging management practices used by private payers that may have lessons for Medicare.