Rads challenge coverage restriction for IR procedure | On-call disparities between diagnostic/IR staff | Recalls & clearances

“These findings underscore the urgency for sustainable practices within neurointerventional care to reduce both environmental footprints and costs,” experts write in Radiology. 

The Connecticut-based payer is labeling peripheral nerve stimulation, used to treat chronic pain, as medically unnecessary, with the Society of Interventional Radiology and others questioning the rationale. 

Amid work-from-home disparities between interventional and diagnostic rads, researchers recently interviewed hundreds of IRs to learn about the landscape. 

The voluntary action pertains to certain Cerepak Detachable Coil Systems, used to treat brain aneurysms and other neurovascular abnormalities. 

The Magnolia, Texas, firm has seen rapid growth in recent years, being named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 in 2024 after logging revenue growth of 212% over a three-year period. 

One regulatory approval targets whole-body PET imaging analysis, while the other was designed to improve interventional workflows.

Both recalls are categorized as Class 2, which the FDA designates for issues that have the potential to “cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."

Translating procedures into standardized billing codes can be an arduous task, but researchers believe large language models offer an opportunity to simplify this work.