ACRULTRASOUND ACCREDITATION

Quest ion: We have accredit at ion in ult rasound w it h t he Am erican College Of Radiology (ACR) To our know ledge, w e do not receive increased reim bursem ent being accredit ed in t his m odalit y. For CT, Nuclear, and MRI--yes, but do w e not believe t his is t he sam e for ult rasound We are considering let t ing t he accredit at ion expire as a cost -saving init iat ive Can you please m ake sure our underst anding is correct before w e m ake t he w rong decision?

Answ er: At this time there is no increased reimbursement associated with ACRultrasound accreditation Under the Medicare Improvement For Patients And Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), all facilities that bill for advanced diagnostic imaging services under the technical component of part B of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, must be accredited by a CMS-designated accrediting organization by January 1, 2012 in order to qualify for Medicare reimbursement. This rule affects providers of MRI, CT, PETand nuclear medicine imaging services for Medicare beneficiaries on an outpatient basis. Ultrasound is not considered advanced diagnostic to ACR ultrasound accreditation, including validation of best practices through peer review, documentation of the need for new or dedicated equipment, continuing education of qualified personnel with expert assessment of image quality.