The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has issued a statement in support of the recently introduced Medicare Diagnostic Radiopharmaceutical Payment Equity Act of 2018 (H.R. 6948).

The legislation, which would recognize radiopharmaceuticals as drugs in Medicare’s Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) and ensure they maintain pass-through status, was introduced by U.S. Reps. George Holding, R-North Carolina, and Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts. 

According to MITA, the bill would improve patient access to radiopharmaceuticals needed to receive quality care. 

“This legislation will allow essential radiopharmaceuticals to be accurately considered as drugs and paid separately in the Medicare hospital outpatient setting,” Bill Abbott, chair of the MITA PET Group, said in a prepared statement. “Passage of this legislation will remove the disincentive to innovation and contribute to greater patient access to these important diagnostic tests.”