House-approved decreases in Medicare reimbursement for medical imaging that are part of the U.S. House budget reconciliation legislation have come under fire the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) which believes the reduction will put patients in danger.  
   
The organization has called for the Senate to reject the imaging cuts, which will harm patients by restricting access to imaging services," said Robert Britain, vice president of Medical Products, NEMA, in a letter to the Senate released this week. 

"Unless the Senate acts quickly, these provisions will harm patients by restricting access to imaging services. Ultimately, what the House passed is bad health policy based on a short-sighted desire to find budget savings. The provisions were added in the dead of night and without an open, public process. The only reasonable step now is for the Senate to reject them," he wrote.

Imaging can generate cost-savings because it is less-invasive, can lead to earlier disease detection as well as fewer complications for patients, Therefore, these are the very type of benefits which could be threatened by the cuts, said Britain.