France's national union of independent radiologists (Fédération nationale de médecins radiologues [FNMR]) has called for a national strike of all independent radiology centers to take place on 23 March, followed by a strike until the end of the Month for accepting any appointments for MRI made by telephone.
The measures follow a refusal by France's national union of health insurers (Union nationale des caisses d'assurance maladie [UNCAM]) to meet FNMR's ultimatum and suspend two measures that the radiologists union believes impede reinvestment in radiology for both independent and hospital radiology centers. The measures envisage a lowering of tariffs for technical acts in CT, MRI, and PET, which only serve to buffer depreciation costs for equipment, according to FNMR. The second measure imposed by the health insurers union is the removal of code z for the reimbursement of specific radiological acts, which to date has facilitated reinvestment in more innovative and less invasive techniques, as well as interventional imaging procedures, the radiology union noted in a statement released on Thursday.
In this statement, FNMR announced that in tandem with the one-day closure of radiology centers and weeklong strike for telephone appointments, its strategy to overturn the insurers union's decision will include a campaign to disseminate the information to patients through waiting room posters, leaflets, and social media. In addition, the radiologists union has established an online petition (www.fnmr.org) so that patients can show their support for these actions, which, the union claims, are vital in the fight to safeguard a modern and efficient healthcare service for French citizens.
FNMR's dispute with insurer union and the national medical insurance fund for salaried workers (Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie des travailleurs salariés, CNAM) is likely to continue until at least October 2017 when the next draft bill of the social security budget will be discussed, the radiologists union concluded.
