Senate bill aims to cut $2B in imaging spending by reviving decision-support mandate

Sen. Marshall introduces Patients First Act: revives appropriate-use criteria requiring clinical decision support for advanced imaging, estimated to cut $2B in federal spending over 10 years; also ties physician pay to inflation. American College of Radiology supports.

• The bill incorporates the ROOT Act, requiring clinical decision support consultation prior to advanced diagnostic imaging, aiming to reduce unnecessary scans.
• The American College of Radiology projects $2 billion in federal savings and $1.5 billion in Medicare beneficiary savings over a decade.
• The broader Patients First Act includes Medicare physician payment reform tied to inflation, a physician-led quality metric task force, and a primary care hybrid payment pilot.

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