Forty-six percent of noninvasive diagnostic radiology codes are identified as potentially misvalued compared to 22 percent of remaining codes, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
The study considered how code screenings completed by the Relative Assessment Workgroup, established in 2006 the by Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, affected the flagging of imaging codes. The researchers, led by Andrew Rosenkrantz, MD, associate professor of radiology at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, analyzed data related to relativity screens and relative value unit changes from the 2016 American Medical Association Relativity Assessment Status Report. The authors classified each code as a noninvasive diagnostic radiology service or a remaining service, comparing the frequency of screening between the two.
Dr. Rosenkrantz and researchers found the screening's methodology resulted in disproportionate reimbursement cuts to noninvasive diagnostic radiology services. The study also found the most common radiology codes identified as misvalued were high expenditures at 27.5 percent and high utilization at 25.6 percent.
Study authors concluded lawmakers' "ongoing search for potentially misvalued medical services has disproportionately impacted noninvasive diagnostic radiology services, risking the introduction of unintended or artificial shifts in physician practice."