Yes it is true.  Your patients can still enjoy the convenience of in house x-ray and be eligible for bulk billing through Medicare.  Recently enforced legislation, designed to remove illegal inducements, threats or temptations to requesters of pathology or diagnostic imaging procedures has been a blessing to the industry.

ICS Imaging responded to the legislation by completely reviewing its business model.  For the first time since the introduction of Medicare, the new legislation actually defines “permitted benefits” that requesters may indeed attract.  Whilst our old model had passed Medicare audit in the past, there was no doubt that the new legislation caused concern.  Put simply, ICS Imaging can no longer pay our clients a flat percentage of the Medicare rebate in acknowledgement of work done on our behalf.  Under our new model, so as to comply with the legislation, we pay clients a flat fee.  This fee is designed to represent the commercial interests of our clients and varies from site to site as one would expect.

With more than 250 chiropractors nationally all now happily using ICS Imaging for their radiology reporting service, the future of in house chiropractic x-ray is again strong and the team at ICS has quickly moved to further support Chiropractors.  A new company ICS Technologies has been formed to provide unbiased advice or a full fit out for your x-ray facility.  New or old equipment, digital or wet film processing, ICS Tech is the one single source for competitive pricing from Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, iCR, Konica, CPI, Control –X and more.  Visit the ICS Imaging web site for links to ICS Technologies.

So if the new legislation defines permitted benefits, what is not permitted?  This is an important question to answer as some of you may be precariously placed.  It would be very difficult for you to have any relationship directly with a radiologist in which you were paid for x-rays taken.  It would be a precarious position for you to receive payment for piecemeal or hourly rates of work, if the total number of payment units rises if you increase your x-ray requests. Be cautious a service provider offering such arrangements. Simplicity is not necessarily your best protection.

The helpful team at ICS Imaging look forward to assisting you to provide the best to your patients.