The Washington, D.C.-based Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has applauded members of Congress for voicing their concern about the significant cuts that have been made to Medicare reimbursement rates for medical imaging in a letter to House leadership led by Representatives Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Gene Green (D-TX). The letter cautions that further cuts could reduce access to care for seniors and threaten manufacturing jobs.

“Recent data confirm that imaging is the slowest growing category in Medicare fee-for-service program, with two consecutive years of declining utilization,” Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA said in a statement. “MITA applauds Congressmen Gerlach and Green and their colleagues for recognizing the importance of making budget decisions based on the latest available data, and we thank them for their continued support in the fight to protect and preserve access to medical imaging services for Medicare beneficiaries.”

The bipartisan letter, signed by 17 members, urges policymakers to pursue policies that promote both patient access to medical imaging technologies and job growth in an industry that provides critical medical equipment to our country.

“It has been a pleasure working with Representative Gerlach to show bipartisan support for maintaining access to medical imaging for our seniors,” Congressman Green said in a statement. “Medical imaging is an important component of healthcare and it is imperative that Medicare be able to continue offering access to it.”

“We certainly can find ways to control costs in Medicare without restricting seniors’ access to the high-quality care they need, jeopardizing manufacturing jobs and discouraging potentially life-saving innovation,” added Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District). “Further cuts to medical imaging may actually lead to higher healthcare costs down the road as illnesses go undiagnosed longer and treatments start later.”