The American College of Radiology (ACR) noted that the Patients First Act of 2026, a Medicare physician payment reform package that includes the ACR-supported Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission (ROOT) Act, has been introduced in the Senate.
Introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS), the bill (S. 5672) has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It is the companion to the bipartisan House version (H.R. 9693), introduced by Reps. John Joyce, MD (R-PA), Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC), and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA).
The ROOT Act provisions would change how Medicare’s Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) program for advanced diagnostic imaging is implemented. Under the proposal, providers would use AUC-based clinical decision support tools when ordering applicable imaging services, according to the ACR.
The broader package would also tie annual Medicare physician payment updates to the Medicare Economic Index and change Medicare budget-neutrality policies and quality reporting requirements.
