Medicare proposes changes for imaging, dialysis

The U.S. government has proposed payment changes in the Medicare health insurance program that could impact reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic testing and dialysis providers. The proposal is part of an annual update of how Medicare pays for the treatment of 44 million elderly and disabled individuals. Among the changes proposed are an expansion of diagnostic imaging services for which the government will trim payment when multiple procedures are done on the same patient. It also proposes no update to payment for drugs used during dialysis.