The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) continues to work to provide our members relief from the 11 percent Medicare reimbursement reduction anticipated to begin Jan. 1, 2021. This reduction is a result of the application of budget neutrality to pay for expected increases for evaluation and management (E/M) codes in Medicare. An 11 percent across-the-board cut will seriously threaten our ability to ensure patients have access to the high quality of care they rightfully deserve. These cuts are particularly ill-timed given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and, without Congressional intervention, will impact patients and providers who are simultaneously navigating the public health emergency.
The ACR has joined more than 50 other physician and non-physician provider organizations in asking Congress to waive the budget neutrality requirement, therefore allowing the increases to go through without reducing payments to radiologists and others who rarely, if ever, bill E/M codes.
Please contact your Member of Congress and ask for a waiver of budget neutrality in any upcoming legislative package.