Patients, Physicians, and Industry Leaders Hold Briefing to Discuss the

Importance of Expanding Access to Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals

Washington, DC, July 17, 2019 --(PR.com)-- The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA),
along with the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc. (CORAR) and the Society of
Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), today hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill with
clinicians, advocates and industry representatives to discuss the importance of improving access to
innovative diagnostic radiopharmaceutical technologies for American patients.

Speakers included Terri Wilson, Senior Director of Patient Access and Healthcare Policy at Blue Earth
Diagnostics and current Chair of the MITA Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Group, Dr. Vasken
Dilsizian, President of SNMMI and Professor of Radiology and Medicine at the University of Maryland
School of Medicine and Josh Mailman, inaugural chairperson of the SNMMI Patient Advocacy Advisory
Board.

All three advocates pointed to the recently introduced Medicare Diagnostic Radiopharmaceutical
Payment Equity Act of 2019 (H.R. 3772) as a solution to address structural flaws in the current payment
methodology and grant greater access to life-saving diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals for patients. The bill
is sponsored by Representatives Scott Peters (CA-52), George Holding (NC-2) and Bobby Rush (IL-1).

“Passing this bill would be a huge step in ensuring patient access and equitable reimbursement for these
important diagnostic tools,” said Wilson. “I applaud the original cosponsors of this legislation and urge
their congressional colleagues to join them in supporting the Medicare Diagnostic Radiopharmaceutical
Payment Equity Act.”

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began treating diagnostic
radiopharmaceuticals as supplies and bundling or “packaging” the drugs with the cost of the procedure in
hospital outpatient settings. This decision created a reimbursement structure for radiopharmaceuticals in
the Medicare hospital outpatient setting that limited patient access to innovative diagnostic tools and
stifled innovation.

“Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are incredibly effective in the diagnosis of a number of different

diseases, among them prostate cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease,” noted Dilsizian. “We've only
really scratched the surface of potential with these technologies, and I expect we'll see future
improvements in these diagnostic tools if policy is adjusted to better reflect patient need.”

As a neuroendocrine tumor (NETS) patient, Mailman, offered a patient perspective on the benefits of
radiopharmaceutical imaging. “Having advanced imaging available for neuroendocrine tumor patients is
critical, as these advancements have helped clinicians determine the location and the extent of disease so
they can better plan appropriate therapy for improved patient outcomes.”

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), a division of NEMA, is the collective voice of
medical imaging equipment manufacturers, innovators, and product developers. It represents companies

Page 1/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use
whose sales comprise more than 90 percent of the global market for advanced medical imaging
technology. For more information, visit www.medicalimaging.org. Follow MITA on Twitter
@MITAToday.-----

Page 2/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use
Contact Information:
Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance
Tracy Cullen
703.841.3282
Contact via Email
https://www.medicalimaging.org/

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/789972

Page 3/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use