The New Jersey Podiatric Medical Society has filed suit in a county superior court against Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey over a proposed new policy regarding reimbursement for X-rays and ultrasounds.

The new policy, requiring patients to go to a certified radiologist rather than a podiatrist, was to go in effect Nov. 30, 2009, but has been delayed by Horizon, according to The Record newspaper, which covers Bergin and Passaic counties in New Jersey.

Horizon claims the policy is necessary to ensure X-rays are delivered safely and are competently interpreted. The state’s largest health insurer also said the policy will reduce unnecessary imaging services, according to the report.

A Horizon spokesman told the paper that the insurer “would rather send our members to the best people in the field to read the scans with the best equipment that’s calibrated properly.”

The New Jersey Podiatric Medical Society said Horizon’s new policy will deny reimbursement for services that are integral to the practice of podiatry and part of the scope of practice outlined by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners. The new rule would also inconvenience patients and add to patient costs, the report said.

A hearing on the suit is scheduled for Jan. 21 in Mercer County Superior Court.