Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Service Accreditation Requirement
Providers of the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures will be subject to new accreditation requirements starting January 1, 2012. Advanced diagnostic imaging procedures include diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET). X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy procedures, and diagnostic and screening mammography are excluded from the accreditation requirement.
The 2008 law that created the accreditation requirement also required CMS to designate accrediting organizations. CMS has approved three national accreditation organizations – the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and The Joint Commission – to provide accreditation services for suppliers of the technical component of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures.
The accreditation requirement applies to all providers of advanced diagnostic imaging services, including physician offices that provide these services. However, the accreditation applies only to the provision of the technical component and not the physician interpretation component of the procedures.
There is also a potential billing implication to the new accreditation requirement. It appears that the end result of requiring accreditation may be that the technical and professional component will not be able to be billed globally following the effective date of the accreditation requirement. It appears that separate billing would be required due to the fact that the technical component will need to be billed with a “code 95″ indicator while the professional component will not. This billing issues has not been clarified by CMS. Providers should seek guidance prior to the January 1, 2012 effective date.
The takeaway is that providers should not only deal with the accreditation requirement but must also re-examine how the services are billed. This is particularly true in a physician practice that provides both the technical and professional component of advanced diagnostic imaging tests.
