Reassignment reform: a possible regulatory tool to stunt the growth of in-office imaging.

The expansion of the Medicare reassignment rule in 2003 to permit independent contractors to perform professional services off-site has been cited as a factor potentially contributing to the marked increase in physician practices billing for diagnostic testing. In an effort to curb this growth, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is contemplating further revisions to the Medicare reassignment rules as described below that would effectively preclude ordering physicians from marking up not only the technical, but also the professional components of any services purchased or obtained under contract from radiology groups or other imaging service providers.