Nuke codes escape DRA cap; new cardiac MRI codes aren’t so lucky

Why This Topic Matters

Imaging practices need to understand which services are affected by Medicare’s payment caps and which are not, because these changes can alter expected reimbursement and billing strategy for the next fee year.

Article Sections

1. Nuclear imaging payment changes

   Discusses Medicare payment updates affecting selected nuclear medicine services and the way hospital outpatient policy interacts with the DRA cap.

2. DRA cap background

   Provides a short overview of the policy context behind the cap and how it relates to imaging reimbursement in office settings.

3. New cardiac MRI codes

   Reviews newly introduced cardiac MRI services and how their Medicare payment rates are addressed in the upcoming year.

4. Cardiac CT angiography capped amounts drop

   Summarizes payment updates for cardiac CT angiography technical components under the outpatient fee schedule.

5. 2008 cardiac MRI codes and their DRA-capped global fees

   Presents a comparison of Medicare global fee amounts for selected cardiac MRI services under the cap and the outpatient payment setting.

6. Technical component rates for Cardiac CT angiography for 2008 vs. 2007

   Shows comparative technical component rate information for cardiac CT angiography services across two payment years.