The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA; Rosslyn, VA) congratulated the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA; Arlington, VA), its medical division, for the launch of Imaging Forward, a campaign to highlight the groundbreaking innovation in medical imaging technologies and the impact of these advances on patient care and healthcare delivery.
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“Innovations in medical imaging have transformed disease diagnosis and treatment, saving lives, reducing healthcare costs, and all but eliminating the need for exploratory surgery,” says NEMA president and CEO Evan R. Gaddis. “With the launch of MITA’s Imaging Forward campaign, the myriad advances that have fundamentally changed the practice of medicine and enhanced patient care are finally getting their due attention.”
Through a variety of multimedia channels, Imaging Forward will draw attention to the dramatic progress made in medical imaging over the past 20 years and highlight the next wave of imaging technologies. Because of advancements in medical imaging, technology once only imagined is now the medical standard of care. For example, low-dose computed tomography can find tiny tumors the size of a grain of rice, which has been shown to reduce lung cancer deaths by 20 percent compared to chest x-ray alone.
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Despite the far-reaching and proven benefits of these invaluable technologies, Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have cut Medicare imaging reimbursements multiple times since 2006. Further cuts will only continue to impede access to life-saving medical imaging services and undercut the benefits of early detection and treatment.
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Additionally, under the 2.3 percent medical device excise tax imposed by the Affordable Care Act, manufacturers are required to pay more than $2 billion per year in tax payments, posing a serious threat to manufacturers’ ability to not only invest in innovation, but also to drive job creation and economic growth.
Imaging Forward will drive the conversation about medical imaging’s role in advancing quality healthcare, improving patient outcomes, and reducing costs. For more information, please visit www.medicalimaging.org/imagingforward.
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