The study showed use of advanced diagnostic imaging has decreased from approximately 6 percent during the mid-1990s to mid-2000s to between 1 percent and 3 percent from 2007 to 2009. The authors suggested this decrease could be attributed to several policy changes, such as requiring prior authorization for imaging tests.
ACR wrote the study’s list of contributing factors is incomplete and that the reduction in imaging use has some negative effects. For example, ACR said Medicare cuts in reimbursement for imaging has led to reduced access to imaging services for patients, causing them to pay more and travel further for needed care. In addition, ACR wrote scans are “safer and less expensive than many of the invasive procedures that they now replace.”
More Articles on Hospital Imaging:
Study: Annual Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Growth Dropped to 1-3% From 2007-2009
Blue Cross Blue Shield, North Carolina Providers Spar Over Imaging Reimbursement
Franciscan Physicians Hospital Dedicates New Imaging Department
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