Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission (ROOT) Act

Key Points

• This bill changes how the government tracks whether doctors follow medical guidelines when they order scans like MRIs or CT scans for Medicare patients. It aims to make the process smoother by having software companies report data directly to the government instead of making doctors do the extra paperwork.
• Small medical practices with 15 or fewer doctors and clinics in rural areas would be exempt from these tracking requirements. This helps smaller offices focus on patient care without being overwhelmed by complicated federal reporting rules.
• Common screenings like mammograms, lung cancer scans, and colon cancer tests would also be exempt from these rules. This ensures that patients can get these important preventive tests without extra delays or administrative hurdles.
• The government will track which doctors are not following the guidelines and label them as low compliant. Starting in 2026, doctors who rarely check the guidelines before ordering scans might face extra steps, like needing special permission from Medicare before a scan is approved.
• Every five years, health officials will report to Congress on how these rules are working. They will look at whether the rules are helping to manage the use of expensive scans and if the penalties for doctors who do not comply are fair and effective.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.