Study Links Increased CT Scan Usage,Lower Hospital Admission Rates

Julie Ritzer Ross | | Radiology Business | Business Intelligence
A new study shows a correlation between volume of CT scans administered to hospital admission rates, with the latter falling as the former increase. According to the study, which was published online in the August 9 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine, the use of CT scans in emergency departments increased by 330% between 1996 and 2007, from 3.2% of patient visits to 13.9% of patient visits. Rates of growth were highest for patients with symptoms that can be indicative of life-threatening emergencies, including abdominal pain, flank pain, chest pain, and shortness of breath. But just as CT scan usage rates in emergency rooms rose during the time period studied, the rate of hospitalization fell. In 1996, the rate of hospitalization following CT scan was 26%. However, over the five-year time span, this figure dropped by more than 50%, to just 12.1% at the conclusion of the study in 2007. Researchers also identify a similar pattern of declining risk of admission or transfer to intensive care units during the period studied. To read the abstract, click here: http://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(04)00830-3/abstract

Julie Ritzer Ross,

Contributor

Related Content

Orano Med breaks ground on $265M thorium production site
Image-interpretation market scoreboard: Radiologists 72%, others 28%
Lantheus lands rights to budding radiopharmaceuticals for initial outlay of $35M
17 short-term strategies to address the national radiologist shortage
‘SR’ onboards another independent practice, its 1st in the Natural State
Analysis: Allied radiology professionals generate millions of dollars per year in indirect revenues alone

Around the web

Health Imaging
Nearly $800,000 settlement offered to family of man who died during MRI exam

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

Cardiovascular Business
Global shortage of nuclear imaging isotopes may be over

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

Cardiovascular Business
‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.