NYSRS's
Victories and
ACR's Achievements & Programs
The NYSRS and ACR are at work to improve the health of our patients and the ability of our members to best treat our patients.
The ACR's significant achievements and programs from 1987 to 2001 are listed at "ACR's Achievements"
Some of the NYSRS's recent successes are listed below:
Good News Regarding Medicare's "Ordering Physician Rule" ( 7-3-01)
Dr. Arthur J. Segal reports success in his efforts to ensure that radiologists will be permitted by Medicare to obtain the history from patients that is used to determine the ICD code on Medicare claims. His report follows:
HCFA & NEW YORK STATE MEDICARE OFFER RELIEF TO PHYSICIANS AND PATIENTS WITH NEW INTERPRETATION OF 'THE ORDERING PHYSICIAN RULE'
The Carrier Medical Directors (CMD's) of New York State support the position of HCFA's Dr. Paul Rudolf when he stated that, "Radiologists are physicians and there is no reason why they can't get a patient history and record that in their dictation and use the information in determining what ICD code to use on the claim."
The NYS CMD's emphasize the following caveats:
1. This does not
provide for an E/M service.
2. It does require that the additional history be
obtained by the Radiologist and not "staff" or a
"technologist."
3. Dr. Rudolf advised that HCFA is continuing
"to work on this issue...and will hopefully provide national guidance
soon."
4. The Carrier Medical Directors will adhere to national policy
and, if it differs from the opinion stated above and after new HCFA guidance is
released, the CMD's will be required by HCFA to follow that new national policy
and its interpretation.
Arthur J. Segal, M.D., F.A.C.R.
Medicare Carrier
Advisory Committee Representative
for the New York State Radiological Society,
Inc.
Multiplanar
reconstruction of CT, MR and other tomographic modalities are to be
reimbursed by Medicare in NY thanks to the work of Dr. Seymour Sprayregen and
the radiology CAC representative, Dr. Arthur J. Segal. (5/12/2001)
NYSRS inaugurates use of mass e-mail system to better communicate with and serve its members. (5/6/2001)
Bipartisan bills are
introduced into the House of Representatives to insure continued access of
women to screening mammography after the ACR’s State Chapters’ Leaders
Meeting. After a delegation of
officers and staff from the NYSRS met with our congressional legislators and
staff, the legislators from NY played a key role in sponsoring these bills.
(4/5/2001)
President signs bill to
create National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. The
NYSRS assisted the ACR in its efforts to have the legislation passed in congress
and then conducted its first membership e-mail campaign to persuade President
Clinton and Senator-Elect Hillary Clinton of the importance of this bill for our
patients in the future. (12/29/2001)
New York State is the
first in the nation to have a Medicare Brachytherapy
policy thanks to our radiation oncologists. (10/6/2000)
The
policy on External Beam Radiation Therapy,
which was developed in New York has passed, and has been used as a model
nationally. Dr. Louis Potters, Radiation Oncology Carrier Advisory Committee
representative, continues as Co-Chair of the national Carrier Advisory
Committee. (5/5/2000)
The
New York State Workers Compensation Board/ No Fault Insurance accepted the
position presented by our representative, Dr. Steven Perlmutter, that it would
be a mistake to lower the reimbursement rates for MRI examinations
because that would lead to poorer quality studies and then to poorer patient
outcomes and ultimately to greater costs. (Spring, 2000)
Dr. Ruth Rosenblatt and Dr. Art Segal were able to change the inappropriate NY Medicare Intermediary policy that would have required “palpation of the breasts” as part of a diagnostic mammogram. (Spring, 2000)
Back to the previous section - NYSRS Bylaws Directory
Department of Radiology
School of Medicine
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Health Sciences Center