Medicare quietly expands radiology reimbursement without rate caps or quality rules
S. 4624 — Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act of 2026 · Filed by John Boozman (R-AR) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced May 21, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows Medicare to pay for services performed by radiologist assistants (certified radiographers working under a radiologist's supervision) as of January 1, 2027. Radiologist assistants would be reimbursed at rates set by the physician fee schedule, with payment going to the supervising radiologist. The bill explicitly states radiologist assistants cannot independently interpret imaging and must work under radiologist supervision.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to add a new covered service category (radiologist assistant services) to Medicare's payment system and establish reimbursement rates. It is fundamentally a healthcare financing and coverage amendment, not a safety or quality measure.
What the text implies
- Payment flows to supervising radiologists, not directly to radiologist assistants, potentially concentrating revenue gains among radiologists rather than expanding assistant compensation or access.
- Bill does not specify payment rates or caps, delegating rate-setting to existing physician fee schedule mechanisms, which may result in higher-than-expected Medicare spending without explicit congressional oversight.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
radiologists (primary revenue recipients); radiology practices and imaging centers; hospital radiology departments