Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission (ROOT) Act
A Republican bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 4 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission (ROOT) Act aims to amend the Social Security Act regarding data collection for imaging services. It modifies how clinical decision support mechanisms provide information to the Secretary. The bill shifts requirements for these mechanisms to begin on January 1, 2026. It also creates specific exemptions for certain types of medical services and practices. Additionally, the bill introduces a system to track and designate "low compliant" ordering professionals based on their compliance rates. Finally, it mandates a study and report to Congress regarding these compliance rates and their impact on imaging service utilization.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +5
Would business owners be better off under this?
Small practice owners are protected from certain data collection requirements via specific exemptions.
- Scored +5
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
The bill exempts professionals practicing in rural health professional shortage areas from the new data collection requirements.
- Scored +5
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
The bill exempts small practices consisting of 15 or fewer professionals from specific data collection requirements.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill creates mechanisms that could lead to prior authorization requirements or payment adjustments for certain providers, potentially affecting service access.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Exemptions for specific medical screenings: Certain services such as mammography, lung cancer screening using computed tomography, and colonography using computed tomography are exempt from certain requirements (Section 2(a)(2)(C)(v)).
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Protection for small and rural practices: The bill provides exemptions for ordering professionals working in small practices of 15 or fewer people, or those located in rural health professional shortage areas (Section 2(a)(2)(C)(v)).
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Support for clinical trials: Imaging services ordered as part of a clinical trial are excluded from the compliance rate calculations (Section 2(a)(2)(C)(iv)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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New reporting requirements for professionals: Starting January 1, 2026, furnishing professionals must include the national provider identifier of the ordering professional on claims for applicable imaging services (Section 2(a)(2)(E)).
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Designation of "low compliant" professionals: The Secretary will designate ordering professionals as "low compliant" if their compliance rate falls below a certain amount (Section 2(a)(3)(B)).
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Potential future payment or access changes: A required study may discuss mechanisms to impact services, such as requiring prior authorization for those designated as low compliant or implementing payment adjustments (Section 2(a)(3)(A)(i)(II)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Small practice owners are protected from certain data collection requirements via specific exemptions. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill exempts professionals practicing in rural health professional shortage areas from the new data collection requirements. Would women be better off under this? — The bill explicitly exempts mammography from the new data collection requirements.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill exempts small practices consisting of 15 or fewer professionals from specific data collection requirements.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates a study and report to Congress regarding imaging service compliance and utilization rates.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill creates mechanisms that could lead to prior authorization requirements or payment adjustments for certain providers, potentially affecting service access.
- 7/21/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 7/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/8/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
James RischRepublican · Idaho
Jacky RosenDemocrat · Nevada
Rick ScottRepublican · Florida