Nearly 60% of physicians oppose legislation that could spur wider use of registered radiologist assistants, according to new survey data revealed Thursday night.
Introduced in the Senate last summer, the Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act would ensure imaging practices or departments receive reimbursement when using such certified radiographers in all healthcare settings. MARCA would not pay assistants directly, supporters emphasize, and free up radiologists to focus on core duties.
The American College of Radiology has remained neutral on the issue, drawing anger from some members of the specialty who worry it could result in nonphysicians taking over their duties. ACR recently conducted a survey to further explore the topic and hosted a town hall Thursday night to reveal the results.
“Most respondents (60%) to an American College of Radiology member survey on Non-Physician Radiology Providers (NPRPs) do not support Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act passage,” ACR said Nov. 4. “Yet only 43% of the survey population, which represents 16% of ACR membership, oppose NPRP use in their practice.”
The college conducted its survey in September, targeting the professional association’s member physicians including residents and fellows. A total of more than 4,200 completed the interview, according to slides presented at Thursday’s town hall (which was closed to the media).
About 62% of respondents said radiology practices should be able to dictate whether they use non-doc providers such as physician assistants or advanced practice registered nurses. Another 57% said their organization uses such providers; 40% agree they can serve an important role in imaging; and 55% believe NPRPs pose a threat to patient care. Two-thirds of those surveyed suspect the use of such providers will remain consistent or grow further in the future.
ACR said it may hold focus groups to gather greater understanding of younger physicians’ concerns around the MARCA legislation. However, it plans to remain neutral on the matter, noting that the bill has “little congressional support.” No committees have held hearings on the legislation, and it has garnered only eight total cosponsors between the House and Senate. The college said its lobbying focus will remain on other matters such as pay cuts spelled out in the 2022 Medicare physician fee schedule, and how out-of-network payment disputes are settled under surprise billing legislation.
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.