INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT

Accreditation Mandate Included in New Medicare Bill-  The US Congress passed and upheld the Patients and Providers Act on July 9 and 15, 2008.  The bill requires that by 1/1/2012, providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services, including Nuclear Medicine, MR, CT and PET must obtain accreditation as a condition for reimbursement.

UnitedHealth Group Releases Announcement Requiring Nuclear Medicine Accreditation- January 12, 2007- UnitedHealth Group has released an announcement requiring all participating, freestanding imaging facilites and physician offices performing nuclear medicine procedures to obtain accreditation by March 1, 2008 as a condition for reimbursement.  (This deadline has now been extended through the third quarter of 2008)

Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. d/b/a Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its HMO affiliate issued an announcement that providers that perform CT, CTA, MRI, MRA, MRS, PET, Nuclear Medicine/Nuclear Cardiology shall be accredited.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine-Technologist Section recently passed a resolution endorsing mandatory accreditation.  - Uptake- The SNMTS Newsletter, Volume 12, No. 4  July/August 2006

The Society of Nuclear Medicine isn't the only organization supporting mandatory accreditation.  The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) passed resolutions supporting participation in laboratory accreditation programs.  ASNC's resolution even goes on to say that they support mandatory accreditation by January 1, 2008.

For more information, go to www.icanl.org or visit the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology website at www.asnc.org