(Dealers should pass this on to your customers.)

As outlined in the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) imposed reimbursement cuts to the technical component for x-rays performed on older technology beginning in 2017 with increased cuts in 2018 and 2023. (See table below.)

In order to track the usage of these x-ray technologies, CMS introduced modifier FX in 2017 to indicate an x-ray was taken using film, and modifier FY was introduced in 2018 to indicate an x-ray was taken using computed radiography. No modifier is required if an x-ray is taken using digital radiography.

You will want to check with your regional and commercial payers to see if they are expecting these modifiers as well, especially for their Medicare products. For example, beginning in 2018, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee announced the requirement of the use of modifier -FY on all x-rays taken using CR, as well as the intention to impose the payment reduction rate introduced by Medicare on all of their Medicare Advantage plans.

Hope this is helpful…Dan

Source: The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine.