Imaging Managers Have Dismal Outlook on Reimbursement

Medical imaging managers continue to have low expectations for adequate Medicare reimbursement rates, according to the latest data from the Medical Imaging Confidence Index.

When asked what they expect for the third quarter of this year, from July to September, medical imaging managers expressed “very low confidence” in receiving adequate Medicare reimbursement for diagnostic and interventional imaging. This dismal outlook has been holding steady since at least the final quarter of last year.

The Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI), co-developed by The MarkeTech Group LLC and AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management, reveals results of an online survey of 149 managers of radiology departments to assess their confidence in market conditions.

In this most recent installment, managers seem to have lost some confidence in whether their departments will grow monthly volume - dipping from “high confidence” to “neutral.” Managers were also neutral about whether they would have capital for imaging equipment and IT needs.

Here are the full results for the third quarter:

Click here to review results from the first half of 2012.

How does it work? Check out the Medical Imaging Confidence Index FAQs.

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Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI) was co-developed by AHRA:The Association for Medical Imaging Management and The MarkeTech Group, owner of the imagePRO panel, launched in 2008. MICI data rely on the feedback of a statistical cohort of respondents from the imagePRO panel that accurately represent the US market hospital market by bedsize and geographic areas.