Reimbursement News
Coding Update: Coding for PET and PET/CT Evaluation of Patients with Solitary or Multiple Pulmonary Nodule(s) (SPN or MPNs)
The Society for Nuclear Medicine (SNM) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) are working on a model local coverage determination (LCD) regarding proper coding for PET and PET/CT studies to evaluate patients with solitary or multiple pulmonary nodules.
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Societies Submit Comment Letter on CMS Proposed Decision for 18F NaF PET to Identify Bone Metastasis of Cancer
SNM, together with the Academy of Molecular Imaging (AMI), Institute for Molecular Technologies (IMT), the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM), and the American College of Radiology (ACR) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposed decision memorandum for the use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (18F NaF) to identify bone metastasis of cancer. The societies believe that the available evidence is sufficient to support Medicare coverage for 18F NaF PET and PET/CT imaging to identify bone metastasis of cancer either to inform the initial antitumor treatment strategy or to guide subsequent antitumor treatment strategy after the completion of initial treatment.
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Medicare and Medical Technology — The Growing Demand for Relevant Outcomes
http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/
In deciding whether to pay for new medical technologies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is becoming more specific about its requirements for evidence of improved health outcomes in the Medicare population.
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Accreditation
Accreditation Required to Receive Medicare Reimbursement
In accordance with requirements of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), suppliers of the technical component for advanced imaging (such as PET) must be accredited by January 1, 2012, in order to receive Medicare reimbursement.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) have selected three organizations to accredit imaging providers:
- American College of Radiology
- Intersocietal Accreditation Commission
- Joint Commission
Click here to begin the accreditation process.
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Molecular Imaging News
Lancet: FDG-PET could distinguish between Parkinsonian Disorders
FDG-PET imaging-based classification has high specificity to differentiate individual patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy and could help in selecting treatment for early-stage patients and identifying participants for clinical trials, according to research published online Jan. 11 in Lancet Neurology.
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Customer Spotlight
Colorado State Vet Teaching Hospital Unveils New PET/CT Scanner
A ribbon cutting ceremony on November 2, 2009 marked the unveiling of a new PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scanner at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital that is the first of its kind in any hospital in the world and the only PET/CT scanner dedicated to serving the needs of veterinary patients. The scanner is specially tailored for veterinary medicine, including both small and large animal patients.
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Imaging News
Airport Body Scanners Not Harmful, Groups Say
Amid concerns regarding terrorists targeting airliners using weapons less detectable by traditional means, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is ramping up deployment of whole body scanners at security checkpoints in U.S. airports. These systems produce anatomically accurate images of the body and can detect objects and substances concealed by clothing.
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View the press release from ACR
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Clinical Practice
Two Hospitals on Leading Edge of Genomics and Integrated Healthcare
In a healthcare environment where physicians, nurses, radiologists, pathologists, behavorial and other health professionals—even patients—are looking for more efficient ways to work together as a team, where will the next generation of optimized care emerge to support this effort? And how will health systems intelligently manage the vast volume of patient information available? One answer is through integrated diagnostics—the convergence of laboratory diagnostics, advanced medical imaging and healthcare information technology (HIT) solutions—which will drive the shift from reactive healthcare to preventative and proactive healthcare and form the very foundation for personalized medicine.
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News in Molecular Imaging
Molecular Imaging Insight
To view the latest edition of Molecular Imaging Insight magazine and learn of more news in molecular imaging, click here.
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