This bill would change Medicare rules so that services performed by radiologist assistants (RAs) can be paid under Medicare when those services meet certain conditions. The bill adds a new definition of "radiologist assistant services" to the Social Security Act. It says RA services must be services that would be physicians' services if done by a physician, must be performed by an RA who is certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, must be allowed by the State, and must be performed under the supervision of a radiologist. The law would not change payment for the technical part of imaging, would not change payment amounts when a radiologist personally performs the service, and would not change payments for covered facility settings. For services in hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and other settings the Secretary may name, payment for RA services in those settings would be made to the supervising radiologist under the physician fee schedule rules cited in the bill. The changes would apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.
The bill describes how payment would be made for radiologist assistant services (including payment to the supervising radiologist in certain facility settings), but it does not provide any estimates of total cost or budgetary effects. No publicly available information on the bill's overall costs or savings is included in the bill text.
The bill's findings state that radiologist assistants are advanced-level radiographers who help radiologists in diagnostic and interventional imaging, work under radiologist supervision, and value their working relationships with radiologists. The bill says RAs are not qualified to perform final interpretations and that removing barriers to care provided by supervised RAs can offer value-based, efficient solutions to improve patient outcomes while ensuring safety.
No publicly available information.