If you currently have analog (traditional film/screen) or digital x-ray equipment, and you treat Medicare patients, the following provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 became law in December 2015.
Beginning 2017, Medicare will reduce payments 20% for x-rays performed on analog systems. Beginning 2018, Medicare will reduce payments 7% for x-rays performed on CR equipment for the next five years, and 10% after that. This is an obvious bias away from analog and CR systems; pushing you to buy more expensive DR equipment.
This is unfortunate because many low-cost CR systems by major manufacturers like Agfa, Konica-Minolta, Carestream and Fuji produce images far superior to those produced by many "popular" DR systems; often sold under pressure to the unwitting doctor, some costing twice as much! BTW, anyone who would like my honest opinion of different types of digital x-ray equipment, based upon my experience dealing with the results of said equipment, please feel free to phone me. It is reasonable to expect that new laws and regulations such as this, affecting huge federal programs, could be adopted by smaller private insurance companies in the future, which might then affect x-ray reimbursement to Chiropractic offices.
This is unfortunate because many low-cost CR systems by major manufacturers like Agfa, Konica-Minolta, Carestream and Fuji produce images far superior to those produced by many "popular" DR systems; often sold under pressure to the unwitting doctor, some costing twice as much! BTW, anyone who would like my honest opinion of different types of digital x-ray equipment, based upon my experience dealing with the results of said equipment, please feel free to phone me. It is reasonable to expect that new laws and regulations such as this, affecting huge federal programs, could be adopted by smaller private insurance companies in the future, which might then affect x-ray reimbursement to Chiropractic offices.