,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ajbj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #ba1    
#bjae,mr4 ,vitter 7for himself and ,mr4 
,cardin7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill  ,to 
amend title ,,xviii of the ,social      
,security ,act to ensure the continued  
access of ,medicare beneficiaries to    
diagnostic imaging services1 and for    
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,diagnostic    
,imaging ,services ,access ,protection  
,act of #bjae4  #b4 ,findings ,congress 
finds the following3  7#a7 ,significant 
reimbursement cuts to the ,medicare     
physician fee schedule should be based  
on detailed empirical analysis data4    
7#b7 ,on multiple occasions since #bjaa1
 ,congress has requested the ,centers   
for ,medicare  ,medicaid ,services      
7,,cms7 to provide the data used to     
establish its #bjab multiple procedure  
payment reduction to the professional   

component of imaging services4  7#c7    
,,cms never provided the requested data 
to ,congress4  7#d7 ,enactment of       
section #bbj7;i7 of ,public ,law #aac-ic
 on ,april #a1 #bjad1 mandates the      
disclosure of ,,cms data used to        
determine its #bjab multiple procedure  
payment reduction to the professional   
component of imaging services4  7#e7    
,,cms acknowledged its responsibility to
 disclose this data in the ,calendar    
,year #bjae ,medicare ,physician ,fee   
,schedule ,notice of ,proposed ,rule    
,making 7,,nprm7 released on ,july #aa1 
#bjad1 as well as in a letter from the  
,administrator on ,august #ah1 #bjad4   
7#f7 ,to date1 ,,cms has not complied   
with the statutory mandate provided for 
in section #bbj7;i7 of ,public ,law     
#aac-ic4  #c4 ,medicare payment for     
imaging services ,section #ahdh7;b77#d7 
of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #aciew-#d7;b77#d77 is amended 
by adding at the end the following new  
subparagraph3  7,e7 ,elimination of     

application of multiple procedure       
payment reduction  7i7 ,in general ,the 
,secretary shall not apply a multiple   
procedure payment reduction policy to   
the professional component of imaging   
services--  7,i7 furnished on a date    
that is more than #fj days after the    
date of the enactment of this           
subparagraph and in the year in which   
this subparagraph is enacted2 or  7,,ii7
 furnished in any subsequent year that  
is prior to a year in which the         
,secretary conducts and publishes1 as   
part of the ,medicare ,physician ,fee   
,schedule ,proposed ,rule for a year1   
the empirical analysis described in     
clause 7ii74  7ii7 ,empirical analysis  
described ,the empirical analysis       
described in this clause is an analysis 
of the ,resource-,based ,relative ,value
 ,scale 7commonly known as the ,,rbrvs7 
,data ,manager information that is used 
to determine what1 if any1 efficiencies 
exist within the professional component 
of imaging services when two or more    

studies are performed on the same       
patient on the same day4 ,such empirical
 analysis shall include--  7,i7 work    
sheets and other information detailing  
which physician work activities         
performed given the typical vignettes   
were assigned reduction percentages of  
#j1 #be1 #ej1 #ge and #ajj percent2     
7,,ii7 a discussion of the clinical     
aspects that informed the assignment of 
the reduction percentages described in  
subclause 7,i72  7,,iii7 an explanation 
of how the percentage reductions for    
pre-1 intra- and post-service work were 
determined and calculated2 and  7,,iv7 a
 demonstration that the ,centers for    
,medicare  ,medicaid ,services has      
consulted with practicing radiologists  
to gain knowledge of how radiologists   
interpret studies of multiple body parts
 on the same individual on the same day4
  4