As part of the omnibus bill passed on Dec. 28, 2020, Congress substantially reduced planned Medicare payments cuts to radiology services from a proposed 10 percent reduction to 3.75 percent. The reductions will be enacted in the summer of 2021.

The move came as a result of the efforts of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, American Medical Association, American College of Radiology and other medical imaging groups that pushed for the passage of House Resolution 8702, a measure that addressed substantial Medicare reimbursement cuts planned for 2021. The original cuts would have resulted in significant decreases in payment levels for radiology, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and radiation therapy procedures.

As part of the omnibus bill, Congress will look at adjusting the Medicare reimbursement reductions for radiology services more in the future.