Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) recently introduced legislation that would ensure clinical decision support (CDS) systems were put into place for physicians ordering diagnostic imaging tests such as MRIs and CT Scans for Medicare patients.
The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
In accordance with the bill, physicians would not be required to follow the recommendations from CDS, but Paulsen says, regular reports and guidelines from the system will encourage doctors not to order unnecessary or excessive tests. The CDS would be utilized through clinical data registries, which would be developed and maintained by medical societies.
“There is nothing more frustrating than when a patient is told they need a particular test by their trusted physician only to be told by their insurance provider that they can’t get it. By following Minnesota’s lead and utilizing tools like clinical decision support we can share best practices, improve clinical outcomes, reduce costs from unnecessary testing, and improve patient safety. This important bill takes cutting edge steps to help ensure patients get the right test at the right time,” Senator Paulsen said in a statement.
