Congress members tout imaging benefits to Obama
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The letter specifically mentions x-ray, CT, radiation therapy, diagnostic ultrasound, and nuclear medicine, including PET and MRI, as example of these technologies. In addition to mentioning the benefits of clinical outcomes, they wrote that medical imaging "often reduces the need for costly medical services and invasive surgical procedures...overall, we know that each $1 spent on imaging services, correlates to approximately $3 in total healthcare savings."
The letter also noted that some policymakers are seeking to control healthcare costs by restricting coverage to medical imaging services. "Not only do we believe this could lead to inferior patient care, but in the long run it may increase--not decrease--healthcare costs," they wrote.
The Congress members cited a 2000 New England Journal of Medicine article, which proclaimed medical imaging as "one of eleven developments that changed the face of clinical medicine during the last millennium."
They wrote that Congress has taken steps toward reducing unnecessary scans, such as the Medicare Improvement for Patient and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), signed into law July 15, 2008, which mandated the development of appropriate criteria for imaging services, as well as accreditation requirements for facilities and providers.
The Congress members urged the Obama administration "to move forward with the continued implementation of these important policies and to reject arbitrary cuts to imaging services or changes to the utilization rate assumption."
Some of the Congress members who signed the letter, included: Gene Green, D-Texas, Ron Paul, R-Texas, Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., Michael Michaud, D-Maine, Lois Capps, D-Calif., Tim Murphy, R-Pa., and Kay Granger, R-Texas.