Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Does physician ownership of a practice affect CT referral patterns? Maybe, but the effect might not be as strong as has been assumed.
It's long been posited that physician self-referral -- doctors sending patients to facilities where they have an ownership interest -- has been a major driver of rising imaging costs. Therefore, researchers from Arizona and Minnesota wanted to examine the CT scanning decision in more detail.
What they found might surprise you. High patient CT referral rates weren't associated with the referring physician's affiliation with the scan provider on an individual basis.
But there were some characteristics of physicians -- and patients -- that led to higher referral rates. Find out what they are by clicking here, or visit our CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
CAD catches missed PE
Pulmonary embolisms (PEs) can be missed on CT pulmonary angiography exams, but a new computer-aided software (CAD) program that's under development could help catch the misses.
Researchers from the University of Maryland tested the software in a small population of patients whose pulmonary embolisms had been missed on CTPA scans. They found that the program performed well, catching more than half of PEs in cases with a solitary PE and even more in patients with multiple PEs.
Find out how it works by clicking here, or visit our Advanced Visualization Digital Community at av.auntminnie.com.
Missing protecting study time
Finally, protected study time for residents cramming for board exams formally ended with last year's American Board of Radiology exam overhaul, completing a longstanding policy initiative from the Association of Program Directors in Radiology. Previously, fourth-year residents were often exempt from call to study for the boards.
But a new survey from a large academic center in Pennsylvania found that residents aren't going quietly -- a large majority still wants protected study time in one form or another to study for what is now the third-year core exam.
Read more by clicking here, or visit our Residents Digital Community at residents.auntminnie.com.
