Because double CT scans place patients at higher levels of radiation exposure, hospitals aim to keep double CT scan rates as low as possible. The recent data suggests that Illinois hospitals may be utilizing scans at higher rates than normal and should examine their practices.
At Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill., for example, 70 percent of patients receiving chest CTs underwent double scans, compared to 5 percent nationally. The hospital said in the report it was unaware its scan rates were “out of line” until February, when it received the data from the government. The hospital is currently working to address the issue.
Read the Chicago Tribune report on double CT scan rates.
