REIMBURSEMENT AND THE MR LABORATORY:
AN OVERVIEW
The
Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) receives numerous
phone calls and e-mails each week from laboratories who are concerned
with their compliance to private insurers' payment policies.
Over the past few years, payment policies have been adopted by several insurers for the reimbursement of MR procedures,
requiring accreditation of the laboratory. Then in July 2008, the U.S. Congress passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), a new law stating that by January 1, 2012, all nonhospital providers of advanced diagnostic imaging, inclusive of Nuclear Medicine, MR, CT, and PET, must obtain accreditation as a condition for reimbursement. The IAC is currently in the process of applying for recognition by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a designated accreditation organization for MIPPA.
A
listing of payment policies of which the ICAMRL is currently aware can
be found on this website under Payment
Policies. |
MEDICARE
REIMBURSEMENT AND THE ICAMRL |
|
THE
ICAMRL DOES:
Attempt
to stay abreast of Medicare and private payer policies
as a service to the magnetic resonance community.
Communicate
information to magnetic resonance laboratories about Medicare
and private payer policies (through the ICAMRL web site,
Newsletter articles and other mailings to laboratories).
Employ
knowledgeable staff to assist laboratories with basic
questions about payment policies.
Provide,
upon request, the same information to Medicare and private
payers as we publish in the accredited laboratory listing
on the website.
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THE
ICAMRL DOES NOT:
Establish
rules or regulations for Medicare or private insurance
carriers.
Have
the authority to make decisions regarding implementation
dates, extensions, etc.
Have
responsibility for notifying providers of magnetic resonance
testing services of Medicare or private payer policies. |
General questions about payment policy and reimbursement may be directed to Tamara
Sloper, IAC Marketing Director.
She may be contacted at 800-838-2110, or via email at sloper@intersocietal.org. |
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