New legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow radiologists to submit Medicare claims for imaging services performed by radiologist assistants (RAs) in hospitals and non-imaging services performed in the hospital or an office setting.
In late 2018, CMS changed its rules so that RAs could perform certain services under “direct supervision,” meaning the radiologist did not have to be in the actual room, but they did have to be in the facility and available to provide immediate assistance. At this time, however, radiology providers find themselves unable to submit Medicare claims for these services when performed in hospital or office settings.
Rep. Mike Doyle introduced HR 1970, the Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act (MARCA), on March 28, and the legislation already has bipartisan support within the House. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, American College of Radiology and Society of Radiology Physician Extenders also all support the bill, according to an ASRT statement.
“The MARCA bill is another positive step toward RA recognition at the federal level,” the statement read.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.