Dear Imaging Center Insider,
Although the efficacy of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) as an effective and accurate diagnostic tool has been established in numerous peer-reviewed studies, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has continued to rule out reimbursement for its use in diagnosing brain tumors.
Part of the problem, according to scientists from Pasadena, CA, may be that the technique has been in the hands of physicists and scientists, and not in the hands of clinicians and radiologists. Another objection raised by the CMS and private payors is that a cost-benefit analysis of MRS for brain tumor diagnosis has yet to be established.
In order to answer these criticisms, a group of researchers from the Rudi Shulte Research Institute and the Huntington Medical Research Institutes in Pasadena sought to conduct a cost-benefits analysis of MRS in a controlled study.
They conducted single-voxel short-echo proton MRS on 14 patients, nine with biopsy-proven tumors and five with suspected tumors, in which a clinician had mapped a diagnostic treatment plan on the basis of patient history and previous tests. The MRS results were then reported to the clinician and factored into the clinical decision-making process, and a final diagnostic and treatment plan was formulated.
The group found that use of MRS resulted in cost savings of tens of thousands of dollars, reduced unnecessary surgery and the attendant risk of morbidity, and resulted in a more accurate and timely diagnosis -- increasing the likelihood of more effective treatment and a better quality of life for the patient.
If you'd like to find out more about this groundbreaking cost-benefit analysis, click here. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you have access to this story days before the rest of our members.
It has been a busy six weeks for imaging center news since our last issue. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended the adoption of standards that would limit who can provide imaging under the U.S. federal health plan. At the same time, the adoption of American College of Radiology (ACR) appropriateness criteria for determining appropriate imaging exams has resulted in significant cost reductions in Israeli healthcare.
President George W. Bush has opened a contentious battle to convince Congress to limit malpractice damage awards. And, the ACR has proposed that Congress place limits on who can provide imaging to Medicare patients. If the past 40 days are any indication, it's going to be an eventful year for diagnostic imaging center providers. Stay tuned to AuntMinnie.com -- we'll continue to provide you the news as it breaks.
