What’s Appropriate?

Five Providers Step Up to Participate in CMS Demo

Dose reduction has unquestionably become one of the hot topics in the medical imaging industry, alongside more controversial ones like teleradiology. But unlike the latter, dose reduction is something that all parties—from physicians to patients to manufacturers—agree on: the less radiation a patient is exposed to, the better. And as David Fisher, executive director, Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA), said, “The best way to reduce dose is not to give someone a dose.”

That is the motivation behind the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Medicare Imaging Demonstration (MID). The 2-year program is designed to promote appropriate utilization of advanced imaging services, while diminishing unnecessary overutilization and harmful radiation exposure. According to CMS, “The program will assess the impact that decision support systems used by physician practices have on the appropriateness and utilization of advanced medical imaging services.”

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