The report defined a double CT scan as a patient receiving two imaging tests in a row, one with dye injected into their veins and the other without dye.
A single CT scan can suffice for most chest problems, but many hospitals leave the decision of a double CT scan to the ordering physician, the report said.
In 2008, roughly 5.4 percent of Medicare patients received a double scan, and almost one out of every six hospitals in Virginia performed double scans “particularly frequently,” the report said. This data comes out as the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission introduced a proposal that would require physicians and their patients to receive pre-approval from Medicare for those types of advanced imaging services.
Read the Washington Post report on hospitals’ overuse of double CT scans.
Related Articles on Imaging:
MedPAC Issues June Report to Congress; Includes Suggestions to Improve Use of Imaging
Report: Diagnostic Imaging Costs, Devices Changing Rapidly
Use of CDs Could Reduce Unnecessary Imaging
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