|
Medicare Payment Pushback, New AI Network, and vRad’s Opening
November 6, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
Together with
|
|
|
|
“Do not accept the status quo. Accepting the status quo is how we ended up with a market full of legacy systems that don’t work with the current practice and utilization of radiology and imaging science.”
|
|
Eric Pepin, MD, PhD, of Radiology Associates of North Texas.
|
|
|
Radiologists face a challenging environment today. Rising imaging volumes and chronic workforce shortages are making it more difficult to provide quality service. And legacy imaging IT solutions don’t make things any easier. In this edition of The Imaging Wire show, we talk to radiology key opinion leaders on how new software tools can help by boosting radiologist interpretation efficiency.
|
|
|
|
CMS gave U.S. medical specialists a fright on Halloween with the publication of its final 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The new MPFS rates lock in a controversial “efficiency adjustment” for specialist physicians (including radiologists) and continue a decline in Medicare payment rates for specialists.
Physicians have long complained about low reimbursement rates in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which are tasked with providing healthcare services to an aging population under a budget that’s, by law, limited to a fixed amount.
- The situation creates a zero-sum game: increased healthcare spending in one area has to be offset by reductions in another.
Physicians thought they won a victory in summer 2025 with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included a 2.5% increase in the Medicare conversion factor, the complicated formula governing physician payments.
- But it didn’t take long for the bill to come due. Within weeks of OBBBA’s passage, CMS issued its proposed 2026 MPFS rates, which included the conversion factor bump but also what the agency called a 2.5% “efficiency adjustment” payment reduction.
CMS justified the reduction by stating that it applied to medical services “that have likely become able to be furnished more efficiently over time but still retain valuations based on outdated assumptions” – including medical image interpretation.
- But the subtext is that the adjustment continues the agency’s long shift away from medical specialties – which CMS believes are overpaid – and toward primary care physicians.
Organized medicine’s response illustrates the rule’s uneven impact.
Indeed, an ACR analysis of the final rule estimates an overall impact of the MPFS changes to be -2% for radiology, -1% for nuclear medicine, +2% for interventional radiology, and -1% for radiation oncology.
- That may not sound like a lot, but the reductions come on top of years of similar declines that some observers have likened to “death by a thousand cuts.”
The Takeaway
By finalizing the 2026 MPFS, CMS is locking in a physician reimbursement schedule that continues to shift payments away from medical specialties like radiology and toward primary care. It’s a trend that’s been happening for decades, and is one that this year’s change in administration has done little to reverse. Radiology should buckle up.
|
|
Unlock Next-Generation AI with Foundation Models
Learn about Microsoft’s new family of cutting-edge multimodal medical imaging foundation models designed for healthcare organizations to test, fine-tune, and build tailored AI solutions specific to their needs, while minimizing extensive compute and data requirements.
|
|
Meet Merge at RSNA 2025
From first click to final read, Merge accelerates your workflows with imaging solutions designed by people who think like you. Book a meeting at RSNA 2025 booth #6100 to get your own live demonstration.
|
|
Abdominal Ultrasound Worksheets and Reports in 45 Seconds
Visit Kailo Medical at booth #4555 at RSNA 2025 to discover augmented reporting that produces worksheets and reports in 45 seconds, improving accuracy, boosting efficiency, and delivering better outcomes for patients and providers alike.
|
|
- Harrison Takes Aim at Platform AI: AI algorithm developer Harrison.ai is taking aim at the platform AI sector by launching a network that makes it easier for healthcare providers to use AI solutions from different companies without a platform. Harrison.ai Open Platform is based on an open architecture that doesn’t block competing applications and provides access to a variety of AI algorithms without markup fees. Joining the effort so far are AZmed, CoLumbo, Lucida Medical, Nicolab, Radiobotics, Therapixel, and Us2.ai.
- vRad Opens Reading Platform: Teleradiology services provider Virtual Radiologic has opened its image reading software platform to radiology practices outside of its own network. The vRad Platform was developed over 20 years and serves over 500 vRad radiologists across 1.6k imaging facilities. vRad’s commercialization of the platform marks a major evolution of the company, from teleradiology services provider to software vendor. vRad’s parent, Radiology Partners, ramped up its activities in software earlier this year through the development and launch of its Mosaic AI platform.
- Cardiovascular Health Linked to Brain Decline: Another research study links poor cardiovascular health in middle age to later brain decline. In a new study in European Heart Journal, U.K. researchers found that among almost 6k people, those with dementia had higher levels of cardiac troponin I that were detectable almost 25 years before their diagnosis. In a subset of 641 patients who had brain MRI scans, those with the highest troponin levels had a smaller hippocampus area and less gray matter, and their brains appeared three years older.
- Imagion Touts MRI Research Results: MRI contrast developer Imagion Biosystems is highlighting research results with the MagSense imaging agent it is developing to detect HER2 breast cancer. Working with Wayne State University, Imagion researchers found that a lower dose of MagSense was detectable on MRI scans, a finding that will help the company establish a lower dose range – and thus better safety profile – in a planned phase 2 clinical trial. Imagion plans to submit an IND application to the FDA during the current quarter.
- RadNet Buys Remote Scanning Firm: RadNet ramped up its involvement in the remote scanning segment by acquiring the assets of Alpha RT, a developer of remote MRI scanning solutions co-founded by MRI safety expert Pete Jablonka. RadNet will fold Alpha RT into the operations of its DeepHealth subsidiary, particularly its TechLive remote scanning technology. Remote scanning is seen as a solution to radiology’s workforce shortage by enabling imaging modalities to be operated by remote expert technologists who can guide on-site technologists.
- Blood Tests Reduce CT Use in Pregnant Women: Looking to reduce CT radiation exposure to pregnant women with suspected pulmonary embolism, researchers instead used D-dimer blood tests and compression ultrasound in a paper in JAMA Network Open. In 699 women, D-dimer tests were more efficient than ultrasound in avoiding CT scans, with a much lower number needed to treat to avoid one scan (2.3 vs. 115 patients). D-dimer tests should be used first in nearly all pregnant women with suspected PE.
- Progress Needed on Lung Screening Rates: There’s good news and bad news in the inaugural release of the American Cancer Society’s U.S. Tobacco Atlas. Smoking rates have plunged over the past 60 years, from 42% in 1965 to 11% in 2023, but in 2022, only 18% of eligible people were up to date with CT lung cancer screening guidelines. The lowest screening rates are in the South, which has a higher lung cancer burden as well as significant healthcare access barriers.
- Riverain Strikes AI Alliance with Bialogics: Riverain Technologies has signed an alliance with Bialogics Analytics that will add AI performance monitoring to Riverain’s ClearRead CT suite of cardiothoracic AI tools. Bialogics’ AIQ Performance Monitoring will be integrated into ClearRead CT to give users real-time monitoring of AI performance, including AIQ scores of clinical validity and operational efficiency, such as positive and negative concordance rates, as well as metrics like AI’s impact on report turnaround times.
- Lung Cancer Treatment Options: What’s the best way to treat patients with screen-detected lung cancer? A new study in Lung Cancer compared surgery to stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in 190 patients with stage I lung cancer. Researchers found that while there was no statistically significant difference in cancer-specific survival, overall survival was worse for SABR patients (HR = 2.61). Also, more SABR patients died from non-cancer causes (29% vs. 6.8%), and three-year survival was lower with SABR (69% vs. 92%).
- Intelerad Expands AWS Alliance into Cloud: Intelerad has expanded its alliance with Amazon Web Services, with Intelerad’s new cloud-native medical imaging infrastructure to be hosted on AWS HealthImaging. Intelerad is developing a cloud-native platform to enable healthcare providers to stream medical images directly from cloud storage to support applications like PACS, vendor-neutral archive, and image sharing. The AWS relationship gives Intelerad a solid foundation for the initiative to take advantage of growing interest in cloud-based radiology.
- Breast Imaging Subspecialization: Mammography services in the U.S. are now more likely to be provided by subspecialized breast radiologists than generalists. A new JACR paper documents the trend, finding that from 2013 to 2022 the number of subspecialized radiologists submitting claims for breast imaging services grew 86%, while claims from radiologists with less than a 50% mammography case mix fell 40%. Subspecialized breast radiologists began submitting more claims than generalists in 2017, a trend that most likely will benefit patient care.
- BMD with Conventional X-Ray: Japanese researchers described how they used dual-energy X-ray technology on conventional X-ray systems from Fujifilm Medical to generate bone mineral density scores that previously required DEXA devices. They inserted a dual-layer CALNEO Dual DR detector into a conventional radiography system, acquiring quantitative Q-BONE scores that had good agreement with DEXA in 200 patients. With Q-BONE, BMD measurements to detect osteoporosis could be performed on X-ray systems at the same time as fracture assessment.
- Five Firms Dominate Radiologist Industry Payments: Industry payments to radiologists grew over the past 10 years. In a new study in JACR, researchers documented $824M in payments to 3k radiologists from 2015 to 2024 (up 50%), with five companies accounting for 40% of payments, mostly related to pharmaceuticals like Keytruda (Merck), Imfinzi (AstraZeneca), and Opdivo (Bristol Myers Squibb). Siemens Healthineers and GE HealthCare rounded out the top five. Industry payments grew more for male than female radiologists (54% vs. -0.3%).
|
|
Reimagine Imaging Innovation
Experience a new era of diagnostic imaging in the AGFA booth #2565 at RSNA 2025 in which every click, case, and connection is designed around how you work. Request an on-site demo today.
|
|
Reshaping the Future of Medical Imaging
Get ready for an unforgettable experience at RSNA 2025, where United Imaging will unveil major innovations that can reshape the future of medical imaging. Visit them at booth #1929 to see their comprehensive multimodality portfolio.
|
|
- A New Standard of AI-Powered Care: Visit DeepHealth at RSNA 2025 booth #1329 to learn how their integrated, cloud-native solutions can unify your imaging experience. Book a meeting today.
- Experience the Future of Radiology: Visit Enlitic at RSNA 2025 booth #7730 to experience the future of radiology and see how the company is revolutionizing radiology data migration with its Laitek acquisition. Schedule a meeting today.
- What Would You Do with an Extra Hour? Rad AI Impressions automatically generates your report impressions in your own voice, from your dictated findings. Radiology teams already use Rad AI to give radiologists their time back. See what you could do with yours. Book your RSNA meeting today.
- A New Direction at Mach7: Enterprise imaging company Mach7 Technologies has embarked on a new direction with recently appointed CEO Teri Thomas at the helm. Learn about the new focus in this Imaging Wire Show.
- AI Tools for Lung Cancer Screening: CT lung cancer screening is gaining momentum around the world. Learn about AI-based nodule detection tools that can improve the accuracy of low-dose CT scans in this video from Riverain Technologies.
- Discover What’s Next in Radiology at RSNA 2025: Join Philips at RSNA 2025 in booth #6730 to see revolutionary new innovations in MRI, CT, and informatics. Don’t miss your chance to witness breakthroughs that will redefine what’s possible at 10:30 am on Sunday November 30.
- Radiology Case Report: A man in his 50s presented with syncope with minor head trauma and unassociated risk factors. Find out how MRI helped provide a diagnosis in this case study.
- Building the Future of Radiology: Visit Medality at RSNA 2025 booth #1140 to learn how they are at the forefront of radiology practice growth and training as the simulated learning platform that everyone loves. Book a demo today.
- It’s Time to Make AI Adoption Simple: Visit Gleamer at RSNA 2025 booth #4936 to experience a milestone moment that will reshape AI’s role in medical imaging. Expect more than a sneak peak: Expect the future.
- Every Image Tells a Story at RSNA 2025: Visit Intelerad at RSNA 2025 booth #6113 to learn how their solutions are empowering radiologists and patients while transforming radiology workflows. Schedule a meeting today.
- Book a Demo with CARPL at RSNA 2025: CARPL helps healthcare providers realize the value of the entire AI ecosystem and drive financial, operational, and clinical ROI. Book at demo today or visit them at RSNA 2025 booth #5732.
- Advanced AI for Prostate MRI: QP-Prostate from Quibim is your advanced solution for detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer from MRI scans. Discover how it streamlines your workflow by detecting suspicious lesions, segmenting the prostate, and ensuring compliance with PI-RADS V2.1 guidelines.
- AI Echo Detection of Cardiac Amyloidosis: AI echo software from Us2.ai identified cardiac amyloidosis using just a single apical four-chamber view in a global multi-ethnic population in research presented at ASE 2025. Learn how it can improve your practice on this page.
- Remote vs. Tableside Fluoroscopy: Choosing the right fluoroscopy system is critical – download this e-book from Siemens Healthineers to discover key safety and efficiency factors that will help you decide between remote and tableside options.
- Reimagining Radiology with Apple Vision Pro: Discover how Apple Vision Pro is helping to pioneer what’s possible in radiology in this special event in Chicago during RSNA 2025. Hear from key opinion leaders and Visage Imaging executives on how spatial computing is transforming radiology.
|
|
|
|
|
