Radsource Meets With Congressional Delegations Regarding Proposed Medicare Changes

Brentwood, TN " September 18, 2008 - Radsource President Mark Awh, MD and Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Carden, recently returned from a successful visit to Washington, DC, where they met with numerous Congressional delegations to discuss proposed changes in imaging by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). "Our key area of concern is the CMS proposal that would require any imaging provider to become an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF)," stated Dr. Awh. "This proposal could in effect require that radiologists provide supervision of imaging equipment and employees in the offices of other specialty physicians, and in some cases, would require that the supervision be performed onsite. Radsource agrees that MRI interpretation should be performed by the radiologist best trained and experienced to do the job, and that quality and appropriateness standards in imaging should be developed and enforced. The arbitrary extension of IDTF standards, however, does not address quality or appropriateness, and indeed threatens to decrease quality by limiting access to subspecialized interpretations via teleradiology."

"IDTF standards were developed to address concerns that arose when entrepreneurs opened imaging centers without clinical oversight," added Mr. Carden. "In such cases, it is necessary and appropriate for a radiologist to provide supervision. The case of a specialty practice such as an orthopaedic office is far different. In this setting, the physician who owns the equipment and employs the staff should be responsible for meeting any applicable standards, and in the rare instance that a contrast reaction were to occur, the patient would likely be better served by being managed by the clinician who is already onsite and has working knowledge of the patient. None of this prevents the radiologist from managing protocols and scan techniques, providing real time guidance to technologists, or providing expert interpretation, all of which can be performed remotely with great efficiency."

During their two day stay in Washington, Awh and Carden met with many Congressmen and/or Congressional Staff, including those of Representatives Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), John Tanner (Tennessee) and Senators Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), Bob Corker (Tennessee), Mel Martinez (Florida), Jim Bunning (Kentucky), John Kyl (Arizona), and John Cornyn (Texas). "The Congressional meetings were quite educational and a great experience," remarked Dr. Awh. "I feel that we were able to successfully communicate our concerns and we were pleased by the positive response that we received on the issues. We are hopeful that our emphasis on quality is the correct approach to healthcare, and that CMS and ultimately Congress will take the necessary steps to ensure that quality is not reduced by inappropriate regulatory changes."

About Radsource

Radsource provides complete solutions for the orthopaedic imaging market. Radsource's unique combination of operational experience and clinical expertise allows it to offer a broad array of imaging services, ranging from professional interpretations to imaging center development. A growing number of imaging centers and clinics from throughout the country turn to Radsource for expert MRI interpretation and other value-added services. For more information, visit www.radsource.us.

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