Comparative Effectiveness
Comparative effectiveness research is a hot topic in discussions of healthcare reform and promises improved health outcomes as well as vast cost savings. The concept of comparative effectiveness is positive, provided the emphasis is on clinical effectiveness. Comparative effectiveness research must also take into account that diagnostic outcomes should be evaluated differently than therapeutic outcomes therefore policy makers should understand the unique characteristics of medical imaging devices. For example, these devices require appropriate training and education for operation and the devices are not implantable. These are important distinctions from many other types of therapies.
Comparative effectiveness research, properly applied, has the potential to lead to earlier diagnosis of disease and earlier, more effective treatment. For example, an invasive procedure might be avoided, shortening a hospital stay.
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Related News
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01.12.12
AMIC Urges MedPAC to Consider Correlation between Inadequate Medicare Reimbursement for Medical Imaging and Adverse Patient Outcomes
Washington, D.C. – The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) must consider the potential downstream impact on beneficiaries’ access and health outcomes when advising Congress about physician payments, the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) said today.
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07.21.11
AMIC Applauds Senators For Defending Patient Access to Medical Imaging
Washington, D.C. – The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) today applauded the efforts of a bipartisan group of senators, led by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI), who took a stand to protect patient access to medical imaging in a letter to President Obama.
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06.15.11
MEDPAC RECOMMENDATIONS THREATEN PATIENT ACCESS TO THE RIGHT SCAN AT THE RIGHT TIME
Washington, D.C. – The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC) today said that despite acknowledging that advanced imaging services growth is flat, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) recommendations to reduce reimbursements for CT, MRI and PET services and impose prior authorization requirements will reduce patients’ access to life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic services. AMIC called on Congress to reject the recommendations.
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Related Research
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October 2011
New Analysis Finds Lack of Cost Savings and Efficacy Data Associated with Prior Authorization
Washington, D.C. – Policy proposals to adopt prior authorization for advanced medical imaging as a means of controlling utilization would not provide meaningful cost savings, according to a new literature review by The Moran Company. The report, released today by the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), evaluated the cost savings of various proposed imaging policies and found that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is unlikely to score significant savings for these strategies.
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August 2011
Study Shows Quantity of Advanced Imaging Services Declines for First Time in 11 Years
Washington, D.C. – The volume of advanced imaging services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries decreased in 2009 for the first time in 11 years, according to analysis by The Moran Company. The study, released by the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), a coalition of physician, patient and imaging manufacturer groups, found that while the volume of advanced imaging services decreased by .1 percent, the amount of overall imaging services declined by 7.1 percent.
To view an executive summary of the study please click here.
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September 2009
Optimal Utilization Of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Equipment: Principles and Implications
Basic tenets of operational research suggest that adopting MedPAC’s recommended 90% utilization factor would have significant negative consequences for patients.
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