MITA Joins Broad Coalition of Imaging Stakeholders Requesting Necessary

Financial Relief to Radiology Providers Hit Hard by Pandemic

Rosslyn, VA, May 11, 2020 --(PR.com)-- The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) joined a
broad coalition of concerned imaging stakeholders in sending a letter urging congressional lawmakers to
include direct financial support to radiology providers in the next COVID-19 legislative relief package.
The urgent request comes as hospitals and private practices alike face unprecedented economic and
operational challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Signatories of the letter included MITA, along with the American College of Radiology (ACR), the
American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), the Association for Medical Imaging
Management (AHRA), the Association for Quality Imaging (AQI), the Center for Diagnostic Imaging
(CDI), the Radiology Business and Management Association (RBMA), the Society of Diagnostic Medical
Sonography (SDMS), and the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

“As this letter makes clear, the coronavirus pandemic and surge of COVID-19 cases have forced many
radiology practices and departments to make difficult decisions about reducing operations, taking pay
cuts, and furloughing staff,” said Dennis Durmis, SVP – Radiology Head of Americas Region, Bayer, and
Chair of the MITA Board of Directors. “With recent data showing a dramatic decline in cancer
screenings, especially where medical imaging is used, we can also reasonably expect that many cancers
are going undetected. This will have an enormous human and financial cost, both during and after we
emerge from the other side of this pandemic.”

Beyond direct financial support to health care providers of imaging services, the coalition also requested
that Congress waive budget neutrality provisions within The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services’ (CMS) final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule for CY 2020; deliver hazard pay to
frontline and essential medical imaging and radiology workers, including sonographers, radiation
therapists, nuclear medicine, and radiologic technologists; extend broad civil immunity, with exceptions
for gross negligence or willful misconduct, to all health care personnel who are responding to the
COVID-19 pandemic; and the temporary waiving of prior authorization requirements and appropriate use
criteria (AUC) consultation for the duration of the national emergency.

The letter comes after MITA individually sent a similar request directly to lawmakers on the same day.
That letter, which was signed by Dennis Durmis, also requested direct financial support to providers, as
well as inclusion of the “Medicare Diagnostic Radiopharmaceutical Payment Equity Act of 2019” (H.R.
3772) in the next relief package, among other requests.

According to recent predictions from the Yale School of Management, radiology practices and radiology
departments should expect volume decreases as high as 70 percent over the next several months. More
broadly, hospital systems are projecting losses in the billions as routine health services are cut, and many
small practices are struggling to meet short-term obligations, such as payroll and rent. Even after the
crisis reaches its zenith – a timeline that is still fluid – necessary infection control measures in healthcare
settings will further increase costs, putting untenable financial stress on already beleaguered providers.

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The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, is the collective voice of
medical imaging equipment manufacturers, innovators, and product developers. It represents companies
whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for advanced medical imaging
technology. For more information, visit www.medicalimaging.org. Follow MITA on Twitter
@MITAToday.-----

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Contact Information:
Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance
Tracy Cullen
703.841.3282
Contact via Email
https://www.medicalimaging.org/

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/812379

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