According to the report, spending on imaging services for each Medicare beneficiary has decreased 13.2 percent since 2006. Imaging utilization per beneficiary decreased by 3 percent in 2010.
The trend is not reflective of Medicare spending overall: Spending for non-imaging Medicare services has grown by 20 percent since 2006 and increased 2 percent in 2010. The decline in Medicare imaging spending may be due to the Deficit Reduction Act, which was implemented in 2006 and included significant imaging-specific reimbursement cuts.
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