The United States government recently proposed payment changes in the Medicare health insurance program which could impact the reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic testing and dialysis providers. The proposal is an annual update of how Medicare pays for the treatment of millions of individuals on the federal plan.

Among the changes proposed are an expansion of diagnostic imaging services for which the government will cut payment when multiple procedures are done on the same patient. It does not, however, propose an update on the payment for drugs during dialysis.

This article originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of AAKP Public Policy Briefing.