The peak body for radiologists says it supports “the intention” of forcing GPs to use decision-support software when making imaging requests, but warns the idea may not work in practice.

In January, the MBS Review Taskforce’s diagnostic medicine clinical committee recommended that GPs should be required to use a computer app when ordering Medicare-funded imaging.

The committee said the extra step — intended to reduce overservicing — needed to be applied to MBS items deemed susceptible to inappropriate claiming, such as those for lower back imaging.

New software would need to be developed to make it work, but that should be possible within two years as a similar tool had already been created by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR), the task force said.