Senators Urge CMS to Improve Access to Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) led a bipartisan group of senators in a communication to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting the agency improve patients’ access to positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans by addressing inadequate packaging of payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals used in diagnostic scans.

These scans help physicians identify certain diseases more effectively, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, advanced cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) long supported addressing the packaging of payment for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals so that beneficiaries have access to the care they need. The College continues to advocate with other organizations to ensure CMS includes something on this issue in upcoming rulemaking.

For questions, contact Ashley Walton, ACR Government Affairs Director.

Related ACR News

Make America Healthy Again
President Trump released an Executive Order (EO) establishing the "Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission,” Feb. 13 to be led by the new Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Read more
Scope of Practice Bills Introduced At State Legislative Level
The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) is tracking more than 58 scope of practice bills across 22 states with more expected to be considered.
Read more
ACR Others Challenge MAC Position on Minimally Invasive Arthrodesis of the Sacroiliac Joint
The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) and other medical specialty societies that use or perform interventional pain and spine procedures told three of the seven Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) that implementation of a new policy as written could limit access to a safe, effective and durable treatment option, potentially exacerbating healthcare disparities among Medicare patients.
Read more